Razor Sharp
by HoplessRomance
Summary: Six years ago was the worst night of Nathan Scott's life. That night he left everything behind. He thought he was doing what was best but when his past comes back to haunt him again, he realizes that no matter how much he runs, his demons will always be one step ahead. The only option he has is to keeping fighting for what he loves, even if it means dying in the process. Naley.
1. Chapter 1

Okay so as promised, here if the first chapter to my new story! I have about 5 chapters of it pre-written already so as long as I get a good response it shouldn't take me long to update again. I'm absolutely in love with this story. I've written a lot of fanfiction in my day but none of it has ever made me feel like this story has. I'm super proud of it and I'm super excited with everything that I have planned. The plot is completely different than anything I had ever written before and it came to on a whim one night. I'm not going to lie, I'm actually kind of nervous y'all won't like it as much as I do. I've worked really hard on it so fingers crossed! Reviews make me happy, so make sure to leave one! Thank you in advance for all of your support and lovely reviews!

As I explained on my latest update of Sweet Mystery, I am in the middle of finals. My last final is the 15th but the I have to help set up for a Christmas party on the 16th and then the party is on the 17th. After all of that is over with I'll have a lot of down time until Christmas rolls around. I am hoping to post another chapter of Sweet Mystery with that down time! I appreciate you all being so patient with me, means everything.

So without further ado...

* * *

He shouldn't have been there. He knew better than that. He was breaking so many rules. His father would kill him if he found out, but oddly enough, he didn't couldn't find the means to care.

He had to see her.

He had to make sure she was okay.

If she knew he was there, she would have been furious, he knew that too. She would have yelled and screamed, maybe even thrown a few punches his way. She always was a feisty one, so full of fire and wit, which was one of the many things he loved about her. She would have spat so many hurtful things to him, albeit he would have deserved every single word.

But again, that didn't seem to faze him.

The music was loud, he could feel it pulsating through his entire body. A potent stench of cigarette smoke and stale beer clouded his sense of smell. There were so many people, it made him feel slightly claustrophobic, but in a twisted way he was also thankful for the crowd. The large group of people made it easier to blend in and remain hidden. His eyes continuously scanned the crowds of people, looking for some sense of familiarity.

His heart was pounding. His palms were sweaty. His stomach was in knots.

He could sense her, he just couldn't see her. Even after all these years, he was still so in-tuned with her, even when he didn't want to be. It was a blessing and it was a curse. Right now he couldn't decide if it was a more one or the other. A blessing because at least he knew she was here and so far, she was safe. A curse because he tried so hard to forget the way she made him feel and this only proved that he had miserably failed that task.

He took a swig of his beer, the cool liquid soothing his dry and scratchy throat. The bitter taste caused him to cringe. He was beginning to get nervous. Two hours and twelve minutes have passed since he had stepped into this bar and sat down in a secluded booth in the darkest corner this establishment had to offer him. The waitress who greeted him tried to coax him into sitting in a booth where the light above it wasn't broken, but he declined. A dark booth was perfect for what he was there for.

Two hours and thirteen minutes, and still no sign of her.

Panic was slowly starting to coil up inside of him. He knew she was there, he could feel it but she was nowhere to be found. Was he too late? Was his team too late? Was she in trouble? He took another sip of his beer, desperately needing something to fizzle out his nerves. He ran his fingers through his thick, raven colored hair, tugging slightly at the ends. He shouldn't have come here. This was such a stupid idea.

But then, as if his silent prayers were finally heard, her laugh vibrated loudly over the music and through his ear drums. He couldn't remember the last time he had heard her beautiful laugh, but he even after all this time, he could still recognize that sound in a heartbeat. It was like music to his ears. His whole body tensed and goosebumps quickly coated his skin. It was like every muscle and every nerve in his body was suddenly covered in a sheet of ice. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. The only thing he could do was frantically search for the source of that laugh.

After what seemed like his fiftieth sweep across the room, a group of people shifted and his eyes finally landed on her. His breath caught in his throat. His heart was practically beating out of his chest and he couldn't move, not that he really wanted to. His eyes remained fixated on her as he drank her in, inch by inch. Her hair was shorter than he remembered and instead of it being the honey blonde color that he remembered it being, it was a light auburn. The auburn waves cascaded down her back, reaching slightly below her shoulder blades. She was also thinner than he remembered, not that she was ever fat. She was wearing a pair of maroon colored shorts that stopped about mid-thigh. A black V-neck adorned the upper half of her body, the words Levy's Bar and Grill were etched across her back in blue, white, and green writing.

One of her hands were resting on her hip while the other was holding up a tray of empty beer bottles and dirty dishes. She was talking away with two older gentlemen who were seated at a booth right next to the bar. She was laughing and smiling, causing his stomach to clench and his grip on the bottle of beer he was drinking to tighten.

God, she was still so breathtakingly beautiful, still the most beautiful woman he had ever had the privilege of laying his eyes on.

He watched her intently as she laughed at something else one of the older men said. She seemed happy and it killed him. He should have been elated over the fact that after everything she's been through and after everything he put her through, she was happy. And part of him was happy but there was a small part of him that felt angry. Angry that she was living her life without him.

But he didn't have a right to be angry. It was his fault that she was living without him, after all.

He was a selfish bastard. That still hadn't changed.

He'd dreamt about this moment more than he liked to admit. He knew there would come a day when he would have to stop running and face her again. He hadn't figured it would be this soon, but the thought was always in the back of his mind. His reaction to seeing her again was stronger than he had imagined it would be. The heart racing, sweaty palms, knotted stomach, and loss of breath were ineludible but the urge to pull her close, to kiss her, and to hold her were unexpected.

How could it be possible to crave someone so much after you've been apart from them for so long?

He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket but he ignored it. It was probably just the office calling him, letting him know his flight information, little did they know, he had already booked his own flight and left without letting a single soul know. That was the first rule he broke. Not telling his dad or his partner that he was getting a jump start on this case was rule number two. Coming to this bar on his own accord and watching her was rule number three. There was at least five other rules that he had broken but they were lost to him. All that mattered was that she was standing in front of him and that she was okay.

The buzzing eventually stopped and he returned his focus to solely being on her. She had moved away from the men at the booth and was now standing behind the bar. A white towel was thrown over her shoulder and she looked to be in deep concentration as she cleared off her tray, carefully placing each glass and each plate in their respective spots. Once her tray was cleared, he watched as she disappeared through a door labeled "Employees Only" before returning seconds later with two full bottles of beer in her hands. She placed them down on the marble bar top before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a bottle opener. Cracking open the two beers, she scooted out from behind the bar and headed over to a table that was much close to him than the last one.

He scooted farther back into the booth, hoping and praying that, that made him even less visible, if that was at all possible. Being seen would have been the yet another rule he would have broken, not to mention his spotting would have started World War III. His phone started buzzing again but like the first call, he let it go. It wasn't until his phone started continuously buzzing did he pull it out of his pants pockets. The name "Clay" flashed across the screen and his finger hesitated over the answer button before finally clicking it. Clay was always relentless and he wouldn't stop calling until he finally answered.

Putting the phone up to his ear, he muttered out an aggravated "What do you want?"

"Where the hell are you?" Clay gritted out, the anger clear in his voice.

"Out."

"Nathan, this isn't the time to fucking play games. I know you're in Tree Hill so cut the shit and tell me where you are." Clay spat out and Nathan cringed.

Well that didn't take long for Clay to figure out that Nathan had left without him.

"Levy's." Nathan answered shortly. It was no use in trying to hide where he was- he was already caught.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Clay yelled causing Nathan to hold the phone farther away from his ear. "You've done some really stupid things in your life but this is by far the most stupid."

"Calm down, alright. She hasn't seen me. She doesn't know I'm here." Nathan responded.

"And she's not going to know you're there either. My flight landed about a half hour ago and I just checked in to the hotel. Meet me here in twenty minutes and I mean twenty minutes, Nathan. You need to get out of there right now."

There was a click before the line went dead. Nathan sighed and put his cell phone back in his jeans pocket. He should have been stealthier about his departure from New York to Tree Hill but he was in a hurry. Being in a hurry usually meant recklessness which was something that was highly frowned upon in his line of work. Just another broken rule Nathan could add to his collection.

Glancing around the bar, he didn't see her anymore and figured she had went in the back. Taking this as his chance to leave without being seen, he gulped down the rest of his beer and threw some money on the table. Doubling checking one last time to make sure she wasn't around, Nathan slid out of the booth and booked it out the exit closest to where he was sitting.

~x~

Haley cupped her hands underneath the faucet, letting them fill up with cold water before lifting her hands up, splashing her face. The cool water felt good against her flushed cheeks. She braced herself against the sink with both of her arms outstretched in front of her, letting the cool water run down her face for a few moments before grabbing a towel. She dried her face off before taking a few deep breaths in attempt to calm her rapid heartbeat.

Most days she loved her job but sometimes it could get to be hectic and extremely stressful, especially on Saturday nights. Levy's was already understaffed as it was and the fact that the only other bar within a twenty mile radius of there was shut down because of inspection failures wasn't helping matters. All of that business was coming to Levy's now and even though that was good for the owners, it was bad for the staff.

Once Haley felt rejuvenated enough, she pushed open the women's bathroom door and headed back out into the craziness that awaited her. Forcing a smile, she walked over to the new table that had been seated in her section while she was away. She immediately recognized the two middle aged men that occupied the table, they were two of her regulars. The younger blonde's name was Steven. He worked for a construction company located just outside of Tree Hill. He was never married and as far as Haley knew, he never wanted to get married. The dark haired guy sitting across from him was Teddy. Teddy worked for an electrical company that was merged with the same construction company Steven worked for. Teddy used to be married but was eventually divorced due to infidelity, on whose part, Haley wasn't sure.

Steven and Teddy tipped well but they made her extremely uncomfortable. They hit on her constantly regardless of how many times she politely declined their offers. There have been a couple of times where they had a little too much to drink and resorted to physical attempts, slapping her butt, grabbing her arm and pulling her into their lap…things like that. Haley could have easily reported them to her boss and have them banned from the bar, but again, they tipped well and she needed the money. It was one of the many sacrifices she's had to make over the last couple of years.

Walking over to their table, she placed a set of napkins in front of each of them before offering another forced smile. "Hey guys, how are we doing tonight?"

Teddy looked up from his phone and immediately smiled when he saw Haley. "Great now." He practically purred and Haley had to resist the urge to gag. "How are you doing darlin'?"

"I'm doing the best I can on a busy night like this. Can I get you anything to drink?" She tried to keep her time around them to a minimal amount, short, sweet and to the point, avoiding their advances as much as she could. Some nights they got the hint, other nights she wasn't so lucky.

"I'll have a Bud Light, draft, sixteen ounce." Steven answered, reaching out to grab her hand. "And a side of you, if you're offering." He ran the pad of his thumb against her knuckles and smirked deeply at her.

A chill ran down Haley's spine but her face remained calm, a small smile etched into her features. "Sorry Steven, I'm on the clock and my boss frowns about upon giving special treatment to customers."

He released her hand and shrugged. "I guess I'll just wait until you're off the clock then."

So it wasn't going to be one of _those_ nights.

Haley giggled nervously before turning her attention back to the other man. "What about for you, Teddy?"

"I'll have the same." Teddy answered with a smile.

Haley nodded before turning on her heels and heading behind the bar to prepare their drinks. Dropping down to a crouch, she grabbed two freshly clean sixteen ounce glasses before standing back up. Sliding the glassed underneath the beer fountain, she pulled the level for Bud Light and waited until they were almost full before removing them. Hurrying back over to Teddy and Steven, she placed the glasses down before returning to the bar.

"I see you got stuck with those two slime balls again tonight." Brooke teased while filling up her own drink orders.

Haley glared at the petite brunette. "Don't I always?"

Brooke laughed, placing her now full glasses down on her tray. "They sure do love you. You could just give them a chance, you know. From what I understand, they're both fairly wealthy and there really is no harm in having a sugar daddy. They'll probably croak within a couple of years from liver disease and you'll be left with loads of money to sit on." She nudged Haley in the side playfully, wiggling her eyebrows.

Haley shuddered at that thought. "As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll pass."

Brooke turned so that she was completely facing Haley. She placed one hand on the bar top and the other on her hip. "Hales, don't you think it's time to move on?" It was like someone had flicked a switch inside of Brooke, allowing her tone to go from being lighthearted to serious within a matter of seconds.

Haley immediately tensed. She really didn't want to have this conversation with Brooke, not again and not ever again, if she were being honest. Brooke should know by now that, _that_ conversation was uncharted territory, especially when they were both at work. "I wouldn't say getting with a 'sugar daddy' constitutes as moving on." She joked as an attempt to steer the conversation from the serious direction it was heading.

"Well, no." Brooke agreed. "But, still, I meant-"

Haley cut her off before she could finish. "I have moved on, Brooke. I moved on a long time ago."

"I would hardly call a string of one night stands and random dinners with the same person moving on." Brooke argued. She began to tap her foot against the tile, the clicking of her heel fading in with the loud music. That was a for sure sign that Brooke Davis meant business.

"Chase and I are just taking things slow, that's all." Haley counter argued, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Slow? So you would consider jumping in his bed the first night that you met as slow?" Brooke retorted, raising an eyebrow at her.

Haley let out a heavy sigh, throwing her hands up in frustration. "So our version of taking it slow is a little unconventional. Just drop it, okay? I've moved on, I promise."

Brooke removed her hand from her hip and held it up in defense. It was no use trying to get Haley to talk. That conversation was like a broken record at this point. "Fine, I'll drop it, for now. You know I'm just worried about you, right?"

Haley nodded. "I know and I love you for caring so much about me, but I promise you I'm fine. I would tell you if I wasn't."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe." Brooke muttered under her breath.

Haley rolled her eyes before turning away from Brooke. She headed back over to Steven and Teddy who were now flagging her down, ready for her to take their orders. She would deal with Brooke later.

~x~

It didn't take long for the cab to arrive at the Courtyard by Marriot Carolina Beach, the hotel that Nathan and Clay would be staying at for as long as they were needed in Tree Hill. Nathan threw the cab driver two twenties, far more than was necessary, before hopping out of the cab and jogging into the lobby of the hotel. The little old man standing behind the check in desk, whom Nathan remember to be named Charlie, sent a smile his way in which Nathan graciously returned.

Nathan quickly hopped onto the empty elevator and pressed the number ten. Leaning against the cool steel of the elevator, Nathan tried to catch his breath. Clay was pissed which meant that his father was furious, livid, absolutely outraged…most likely a combination of all those adjectives. As the floors dinged by, Nathan tried his best to mentally prepare for the screaming match that was waiting for his as soon as he walked into that hotel room.

Clay didn't know everything. Clay wouldn't understand why he came here before he was supposed to. He would just view this as a reckless endeavor that could possibly cost them their jobs or maybe even their lives. Maybe in some ways, Clay would be right.

The elevator eventually made it to the tenth floor, a louder ding vibrated off the steel walls before the doors creaked open. Nathan exited the elevator and immediately turned left. He walked down the long corridor of rooms until he reached his. Digging his key card out of his pocket, his inserted it and waited for the arrow to go from red to green before pushing the door open. As soon as he stepped foot into the room, Clay came barreling around the corner with clenched fists. His normally ocean blue eyes were dark with anger.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Clay yelled, repeating his same scolding from their phone conversation earlier. "Actually, I already know the answer to that. You must be out of your mind to come here without telling anyone or to come here at all, knowing that we were under strict orders to not step foot here until we were given the okay from the director."

Nathan closed the door and walked right passed Clay. He tossed his wallet and key card onto the counter before turning around to face his angry partner. "I just wanted to get a head start on this case, that's all." Nathan answered calmly.

"A head start? You wanted to get a head start? That's bullshit, Nate, and you know it. Getting a head start would have been reading over files, creating a story board with all the information that we already know, not coming all the way here and scoping things out." Clay shouted. His hands were on his hips, his fingers dipping below his belt. If he was a cartoon character, steam would surely be coming out of his ears.

"It's really not that big of a deal, Clay. I was careful." Nathan stated simply. He leaned back on the table, putting his hands behind him to hold himself up.

"Obviously not since everyone in the office knew where you were a mere three hours after you left. You could have gotten yourself killed. You could have gotten her killed! You're supposed to be keeping her safe from him, not luring him to her. Do you want another death on your hands? Is that what you want? You're sure headed in that direction." Clay knew his words were harsh but he couldn't help it. He was absolutely seething. He just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that what Nathan did was just so reckless, so unlike him.

Nathan felt the anger surge through him the second those words left Clay's mouth. He wanted to remain calm and act like everything was okay but that idea quickly flew out the window. He clenched his jaw and pushed himself off the table, stalking over to Clay until he was centimeters from his face. "Watch it, Clay." He gritted out through his clenched teeth.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I hit a nerve?" Clay smirked.

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "You really don't want to go there, trust me."

"Maybe I should go there since that's apparently where your head is." Clay taunted Nathan even farther. "Does it feel good, Nate? Defying rules? Are you on some kind of mission? Is the thrill of it all getting to you?"

"You wouldn't understand." Nathan replied simply.

Clay took a step forward, his chest practically touching Nathan's. "You're damn right I don't understand. I don't understand how you could do something so completely and utterly reckless like this. This isn't you, Nathan. You would never do something like this." He paused when he suddenly Nathan's facial expression change. The anger that was once in his eyes quickly dissipated into something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Fear? Hurt? Desperation? It was a look he had never seen on Nathan before. He backed away slightly, furrowed his eyebrows, and asked in a much softer tone of voice, "what is it with you and this case?"

Nathan took an additional step away from Clay, his eyes narrow. "What do you mean?" While his voice was much calmer than it was moments before, it was still rather icy.

"Don't play dumb. Ever since this case landed on our desks, you've been white as a ghost. You've been jumpy, zoning out during meeting, not sleeping, barely eating, and now you pull some shit like this. So tell me, what about this case has you so rattled?" Clay pondered.

"Nothing." Nathan was quick to dismiss his allegations.

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

"Nathan…"

"Just drop it, okay?

"Not until you tell me why you're acting the way that you are." Clay persisted.

"There's nothing to tell, so just drop it." Nathan found himself raising his voice again. "I did something stupid, I get that. But there's no ulterior motive behind what I did besides trying to get ahead in this case. Believe me, don't believe me, I quite frankly don't care."

Nathan swiftly turned around and began to walk away towards his designated room. He could feel the anger start to boil up inside of him again and fearing that he might say something he'd later regret, Nathan walked away. He didn't care what Clay thought. Let Clay have his own assumptions, it didn't hurt him any.

"Peyton's livid, you know." Clay shouted at Nathan's retreating form.

"She'll get over it." He responded sourly.

"So is your father."

"Like I said, they'll get over it." Nathan shouted before walking into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Still slightly seething from his and Clay's previous conversation, he collapsed down at his desk where a bunch of files were scattered across the mahogany wood. He ran his hands over his face in frustration before scanning his eyes across the files. All of the words and pictures seemed to blur together. He had spent all of last night reading and re-reading those same damn files, just trying to grasp the concept of everything, but he came up short. How had things ended up like this? How did he end up back here to the same place he spent years running from? Nathan was sure he had taken every precaution that he could think of yet everything he did to try and prevent this seemed futile. He couldn't help but feel like a complete failure for the second time in his life. He felt so helpless and that was one emotion he didn't like to feel.

He might have failed this time, but he wasn't going to fail again, even if he died trying.

Nathan found himself reaching for an old photo, the same photo he had spent hours staring at during the previous night. The edges of the photo were withered and the left corner was completely torn off. The color in the picture was starting to slightly yellow. Pictured was a little boy, about one year old. He was sitting in the grass in a pair of jeans and a black baseball tee with the word "brave" written across the chest in red writing. A blue plastic ball was in the boy's hands.

He ran his fingers over the boy's face, tracing the contours that were visible to him. Nathan wouldn't have recognized the boy in the picture if it wasn't for his blue eyes. He could recognize those blue eyes anywhere.

They were his after all. Every time he looked in the mirror, those same blue eyes stared back at him. The only difference was that the eyes staring back at him weren't filled with life and happiness, at least not anymore.

The little boy was smiling at him, nothing but pure joy and excitement written over his face. It made Nathan sick. The longer he stared at the picture, the worse he felt, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. Goosebumps rose high on his skin, chill after chill ran down his spine. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest and he felt light headed. His eyes began to water but he wasn't sure if it was because he was crying or if it was because he was willing himself not to blink.

He was terrified. He was terrified to close his eyes, even for a millisecond. He was scared that the second he closed his eyes, the picture would just change or disappear.

After all, that picture was all he had left.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow! I am so glad that this story got the response that it did! The moment that I sat down and started writing it a few months back I just knew that it was going to be something special. Just a fair warning, this story is going to be a wild ride...some goods things, some not so good things, so I hope you guys are ready. I love reading all of your guys' predictions. I'm not gonna confirm or deny anything, but you all super creative! I know you have many questions and that was what I was hoping for. I'm not gonna lie, some of your questions might go unanswered for awhile and you'll probably just have more questions.

Here's the next chapter!

* * *

A bright stream of sunlight peered in from a small opening in the light purple colored blinds Haley had hanging in her bedroom. The beam of sunlight landed right on Haley's eyes, bringing her out of a deep sleep. An irritated groan escaped her lips and she turned her head, burying herself deeper in the mass of blankets and pillows she had on her bed. Finally finding a comfortable position, she closed her eyes again and waited for sleep to claim her. Only a few short seconds passed before the loud roar of a vacuum cleaner jolted her out of her serene state.

Tossing the blankets off of her tired body, she swung her legs off of the side of the bed and pushed herself off of the mattress. She stomped her feet against the hardwood floor and swung her bedroom door open, glaring at the sight she saw before her. Brooke was dancing around the living room, pushing the vacuum cleaner back and forth, humming along to whatever song was currently playing through her headphones. Haley rolled her eyes and treaded over to the outlet the vacuum was plugged in to yank the cord out of the socket.

Brooke immediately stopped what she was doing and whipped around towards Haley, pulling her headphones out of her ears. She was ready to scold Haley but the words died on her lips and were quickly replaced with a fit of giggles. There was Haley, in a pair of black and gray pajama pants with polar bears decorating the fabric and a white ribbed tank top. Her hair was sticking up in every direction and her make-up from the previous day was smeared under her eyes.

"Wow, that's a good look for you, Hales." Brooke teased.

Haley shot her a confused look before turning to face the large closet-mirror that was located a few feet away from where she was standing. She looked at herself in the mirror and cringed at what she saw. The first thought that came to her mind was that she looked like she was extremely hungover mixed in with slight raccoon tendencies. She groaned audibly, tearing her eyes away from the mirror.

"Wow, I look-"she paused, seeing Brooke move to plug in the vacuum back in, suddenly remembering her sole purpose for coming into the living room, "wait, that is so not the point right now. I'm trying to sleep, Brooke! Why the hell did you pick this moment to decide you want to clean house?"

"It's one in the afternoon, dude. I figured that you had slept enough." Brooke shrugged innocently.

Haley placed her hands squarely on her hips. "Says the one who didn't work until three in the morning."

"It's not my fault that Steven and Teddy decided that they were going to have a late night. My regulars don't like me as much as yours do." Brooke responded.

"Yeah, well that's probably because you're a bitch to all your customers." Haley sneered.

"Call it what you want but at least I'm not stuck at work hours after I've been cut. By the way, is there any way you could coincidentally not be home tonight?" Brooke muttered, biting down on her lower lip.

"Oooh, hot date?"

"I guess you could say that. Julian's coming over." Brooke said nervously. She was wringing her hands together furiously, a tell-tale sign that she was feeling a little apprehensive.

"He's back in town?" Haley asked, her eyebrows furrowing together in surprise.

Brooke nodded. "He came back this morning. His finished his latest movie earlier than he anticipated, a month early to be exact."

"I thought he was heading back to L.A after this movie was finished?"

"Well, technically he still is. Since they finished early, he has some time so he's spending two weeks in Tree Hill before heading back. All of his stuff is still here so this gives him time to pack everything up." Brooke answered nonchalantly. Sensing that she wasn't going to be able to finish clearing, she began to wrap the vacuum cord around its holster.

Haley giggled to herself. Brooke was avoiding eye contact with her. Quirking an eyebrow, she walked over to Brooke and stepped in front of her, yanking the vacuum cord out of her hand. "And somehow he's taking another detour and stopping by tonight?"

"He might have called me last night."

"Brooke!"

"Look, I know. We're supposed to be done and honestly, we are. It's just…we never got to like officially end things. There was no closure or anything. It was just a single phone call and then things were done. So, tonight is our chance to finally do that." Brooke explained, her hands animated.

Haley's quirked eyebrow only seemed to rise higher. "That explains why I have to be MIA tonight."

"I'm just covering my ass just in case there's some break up sex involved. Would you rather be here and find out what happened the hard way or just hear the details from me later?" Brooke asked.

"I would rather not hear about _those_ details at all," Haley mumbled barely loud enough for Brooke to hear. "Are you sure about this?"

Brooke shrugged. "I really have nothing to lose. We're already broken up so if tonight is just a continuation of that then I'll be fine."

"And what if it's not?" Haley fired back.

"I don't know. Like what if he wants to get back together?" When Haley nodded, Brooke continued on. "I mean, I guess I would be open to discussing that."

"Brooke…" Haley warned.

"Hales, I know Julian isn't your favorite person in the world but I do still love him and despite everything that has happened over the course of the last few months, he's made me the happiest that I've ever been." Brooke grasped on to Haley's hands and squeezed them tightly. "Thank you for being so worried about me but I promise that I know what I'm doing."

"I just want you to be happy, Brooke." Haley stated simply.

"As do I." Brooke giggled. "So, promise me that you'll make yourself scarce tonight?"

Haley sighed before nodding her head. "You're just lucky that I have a plans with Chase tonight."

Brooke let go over hands before clasping her hands together. "Chase huh?"

Haley nodded. "But don't get too excited, we're just going to dinner."

"I'm not. You've given me your 'I've moved on but I'm taking it slow' lecture at least fifty times now." Brooke said with a roll of her eyes, "but that doesn't mean I can't still get excited for you."

"Yeah, I guess that is true. What time is Julian getting her so I know when to disappear?" Haley asked.

"7."

"Perfect, Chase and I are meeting up at 6:30."

~x~

The shrill sound of a cell phone ringing broke Nathan out of his sleeping state. Jolting up from his previous laying position on his desk, his bed for the last two nights, he began searching for the source of the ringing. The desk lamp was still on and his files were still spread across the entire length of the desk. The past two nights he had spent obsessing over those same damn files, reading and analyzing them over and over again, only to fall asleep on top of this. He was borderline becoming obsessed but he didn't care. He needed answers. He needed clues. He needed everything to just stop.

Finally finding his phone under a heap of papers, he clicked 'answer' without even glancing at the caller ID. He muttered a hoarse "hello" into the receiver while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"You're damn lucky that you're my son." Dan's gruff voice said on the other line of the phone. He was pissed, that's for sure.

Nathan let out a deep sigh and rested the palm of his hand against his forehead, his elbow propping it up on the desk. "Clay already gave me the third degree last night, I don't need to hear it from you too."

"Watch your tone, boy." Dan warned, "I should remove you from this case and suspend you for this little stunt that you pulled."

"Dad! You can't do that. You know how important this is."

"That's why I said you're damn lucky that you're my son. But mark my words Nathan, if you pull something like this again, I will not hesitate to take your badge, you understand me?"

Nathan ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, I understand. Did my coming here raise any suspicion?"

"Luckily, no." Dan answered shortly.

Nathan paused for a moment before muttering "aren't you going to ask me?"

"Ask you what?"

"Why I did it?"

Dan sighed before continuing in a much softer voice than he had used previously. "I don't have to ask, I know why you did it. Just please tell me you haven't told Clay-"

Nathan was quick to cut him off. "Absolutely not. Clay knows nothing."

"Keep it that way. Mouth located a few more files within Tree Hill's database, I had him email them to you. A women was found murdered five years ago. Her body was dumped off on the side of the river with her traces of suffocation and rape. She fit the pattern but Tree Hill detectives brushed it off and blamed her abusive ex-boyfriend." Dan explained.

"Okay, I'll look over it tonight." Nathan responded. "Thanks." With that, he hung up the phone and placed it back down on his desk. He ran his hands over his face and took a deep breath before pushing himself out of his desk chair. He didn't make it very far before his cell phone started ringing again. Retreating a few steps, he retrieved off of the desk and rolled his eyes when he saw the named flashing across the screen.

Pressing answer, he brought the phone up to his ear. "If you're calling to yell at me, save your breath. I've already been given the same lecture you're about to give me…twice."

"I'm not calling to yell at you. I'm calling you to tell you to come open up the damn door to your hotel room." Peyton grumbled. Nathan rolled his eyes, a seemingly continuous gesture whenever Peyton was around. Ending the call, he shuffled out of his room and headed towards the front door, he took note of the fact that Clay was gone or he was still sleeping. He quickly unbolted the door before swinging it open.

"Good, now I can yell at you." Peyton said with a tight closed mouth smile before crossing the threshold. Dropping the luggage she was carrying to the ground, she swiftly turned around to face Nathan and placed her hands on her hips. "Mind telling me what the fuck was going through your mind?"

Nathan sighed. "Peyton, I already told you to save the lecture."

"I think you need to hear it a couple more hundred times because what you did was quite possibly the stupidest thing you could have ever done. Did you learn nothing in your training courses?" Peyton shot back, her pissed off stance only becoming more stationary.

"I know it was stupid." Nathan said calmly. He was starting to sound like a broken record. "I shouldn't have done it, I'm sorry, yada yada. Now if you don't mind, I would like to move past this and just start working on the case."

Peyton glared at him for a few moments before letting out a breath of air. "Fine. I'll let you off the hook, but that's only because Clay and your dad already beat me to the scolding. You're lucking I didn't get to you first."

Nathan chuckled and sent a small smirk Peyton's way. "I know. Your room is the last one at the end of the hall, on the left. Is there a reason you didn't use your room key?"

"My hands were full." Peyton said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

Nathan nodded, smiling at her. "Fair enough. Here, let me help you." He walked over to where her bags had fallen and lifted the biggest one up, grunting as he did so. "Damn girl, how much shit did you stuff in here?"

Peyton laughed, swinging the smaller bag over her shoulder. "Trust me, you don't want to know. You know how these trips go, they're unpredictable and there is no telling how long we're going to be here, so I might have packed a few extra things."

"Women." Nathan muttered under his breath.

They walked down the short hallway before reaching the last vacant room. Nathan set the suitcase he was carrying down next to the bed and Peyton plopped her bag down next to it. "So, what's our plan?"

"Dan wants us to keep a close eye on who the UNSUB's perceived next victim is to start with. We have to keep a low profile. There's no sense in alerting her when there really isn't anything to alert her about right now." Nathan explained, chocking back the lump that was quickly growing in his throat. He hated this. He hated talking about this. He hated acting like this was just another one of their cases. It wasn't, not even close.

"Did you find anything when you were unethically snooping around?" Peyton asked as she began to unzip her luggage.

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "Not really, just basically confirming where she works."

The sound of the front door opening and slamming shut caused them both to jump. Within seconds, Clay practically ran into Peyton's room. His eyes were wide and he had an anxious smile plastered across his boyish face. "I hope you two don't have any plans tonight."

"Well, hello to you to Clay." Peyton remarked with a hand on her hip. The sass never stopped with her.

"Yeah, yeah, hey Peyton, how was your flight? Great, good…moving on to what's more important-tonight." Clay rambled on without sending more than a glance in Peyton's direction, causing her to roll her eyes. "Mouth texted me about fifteen minutes ago, apparently our girl has made reservations at Lincoln's tonight and I think it would be beneficial to check it out.

"Nathan hides in a booth at her work last night and now tonight we want hide out in another booth at a fancier restaurant, which probably means she's going out on a date? Our plan is her stalk her?" Peyton asked with a kink of her eyebrow.

Nathan's stomach was turning. He was going to be sick.

Clay shrugged. "I think that's our best option. We have no idea what our UNSUB is capable of. He's clever and quick and a lot more intelligent than we gave him credit for. For all we know, he could have already located her. The only way to know is if we keep close tabs on her and look for anything that seems out of the ordinary."

"I guess you're right." Peyton sighed in defeat. "So what's our plan?"

"I'll stay in the car tonight." Nathan jumped in quickly.

"Wow, for someone who was extremely dedicated to this case, you suddenly want to play the easy role." Clay chirped.

Nathan ran his fingers through his hair, slightly tugging on the ends. "I, uh, she could have seen me last night. I'm almost positive that she didn't but just in case she did, wouldn't it be weird for me to be in the same place as her at the same time for the second night in a row?"

Peyton pursed her lips and shook her head. "No, it's a small town."

He swallowed hard. "Yeah, but we shouldn't run the risk."

"I don't know what is going on with you, but you're starting to freak me out, Scott." Clay muttered.

"What do you mean?" Nathan tried to sound as innocent as he possibly could. Acting was definitely not his strong suit.

Clay just shook his head in response. "Forget it, I know you're not going to tell me anyway. Her reservations are for 6:30. Peyton and I will go undercover as a couple. We should probably get there and be seated about 6:15. Nathan will secure the outside. Sound good?"

Both Nathan and Peyton nodded. Nathan quickly excused himself and headed towards the bathroom. Splashing some cold water on his face, he took in a deep breath. He was never an anxious person, rarely ever got nervous…except when it came to _her_. His chest felt tight, like an elephant was stepping down on his chest. A date? That was her plans for the night? He didn't want to jump to conclusions…but how could he not? Lincoln's was by far the nicest restaurant in Tree Hill. She wouldn't just be going there for the hell of it.

Nathan knew he had no right to care. She had free reign to do what she wanted. But that didn't stop the immense emotions from swarming through his body. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, there were so many different emotions and neither was dominant over another. He had to find a way to get it together. His partners were already asking too many questions.

~x~

"I was starting to think you weren't going to show." Chase cooed with a smirk as Haley slid into the side of the booth that was opposite of him.

"And miss the opportunity to have a meal that wasn't from a carton or frozen? I would never." Haley teased back, getting herself situated against the leather of the booth.

"Ah, I see, you're just using me." He placed his hand over his heart, feigning being offended. "That hurts, Haley."

Haley rolled her eyes but the playful smile she was adorning never left her face. "I'm sorry I'm late. Julian was stopping by Brooke and I's apartment tonight and naturally, Brooke was having a mental break down. She wouldn't let me leave until she decided on just the right outfit."

"Let me guess, she changed about thirty times and then just ended up wearing the first outfit she tried on?" Chase quipped.

She nodded in response. "Your guess would be correct."

Chase smiled at her, shaking his head a little. "Brooke Davis, she is one of a kind. I hope you don't mind, but I order you a glass of white wine. I know how much you love white wine."

She grinned gratefully at him before scanning over the menu sitting before her. Haley really liked Chase, she honestly did. Things were easy with him. There were few awkward moments and the conversations seemed to flow easily between them. There was nothing serious going on between them and there was no rush to make things serious, either. She liked that. Chase was just the kind of distraction that she needed.

Plus, it didn't hurt that he was easy on the eyes.

The black dress shirt he was wearing only enhanced his natural tan and made dark brown eyes seem even darker. A light stubble dusted his chin and his medium dark brown hair was gelled into a simple classic kind of style. Not to mention, he smile was out of this world. His teeth were a bright white. Haley was positive she had never seen someone have such perfect teeth before.

"I'm thinking the prime rib, what about you?" Chase asked, pulling Haley out of her previous thoughts.

Realizing that she hadn't actually been reading any of the words in front of, she panicked slightly. "Uh…I think I'm just going to get baked macaroni and cheese."

Chase chuckled and closed his own menu. "Well, there's a shock."

She raised her eyebrows at him, letting out a small scoff. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that every single time we go out, you order some version of mac and cheese. I almost expect it at this point." Chased explained, holding his hands up in defense.

"Hey it's-"

"The food of the Gods, I know."

Peyton and Clay slid into a booth that was directly across from the one that Chase and Haley were occupying. Peyton eyed their surroundings, looking for something, anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Couples littered the dining room along with a couple of families. They all seemed engrossed in the conversations and the meals that were in front of them. Her eyes then trailed to their target table. Haley seemed to be happily talking to the man that sat across from her.

Peyton took this as a chance to really study Haley. She was a small woman, about 5"4' in height and about a size four in clothes, if Peyton had to guess. The black dress she was wearing was a simple a-line, with a red belt cinching the waist. Her auburn colored hair was swept up in a curly ponytail and simple gold Cross was around her neck. A smile never once left her face. She seemed nice, normal, and completely content with life.

"They seem friendly." Peyton pointed out, looking over at Clay who was also surveying the room.

"It seems like they've known each other awhile. She's even more beautiful in person." Clay conceded, his own eyes landing on Haley. "We need to figure out his name and run a search on him. Can never be too careful."

"She really is. If you can find a way to snap a clear picture of him, Mouth might be able to run a search." Peyton suggested before bringing her wrist near her mouth. Pressing down on the little red button, she began to speak into it. "Premises is clear here. How's the outside looking?"

Nathan jumped at the sound of Peyton's voice echoing through his ear piece. Quickly, he glanced around the outside of the restaurant. A few nicely dressed people were entering in through the front door but other than that, it was relatively quiet. Bring his wrist to his mouth, he pressed down the 'talk' button and reported back to Peyton and Clay. "All clear."

It was killing him to not be inside, to not see her. But there was no way he could handle seeing her on a date with someone else. His cover would be blown in an instant and right now that was the last thing he needed. Deciding that the silence was driving him crazy, he flipped on the radio and scanned the stations until he found some rock station he could handle listening to. He sat back in the driver's seat of the SUV he was staked out in, and continued to survey the outside of the restaurant.

After about ten minutes of no suspicious activity, Clay tore his eyes away from Haley and Chase. Adverting his attention back to Peyton, he smiled softly when he noticed her gazing at the lock screen of her phone- a picture of her, her fiancé, and their daughter. "You know, I've been meaning to ask how things are going with you and Jagielski."

Peyton looked up, immediately locking her phone and blushing slight at the fact she had been caught. It was no secret that Peyton was cold as the day is long. She wore a hard exterior and didn't take any shit but one mention of her daughter or her fiancé had the ice around her heart melting. "We've been pretty good. Jenny is growing like a weed though. I can't believe she's going to be three in August."

"I miss that little girl." Clay admitted. "The wedding still planned for November?"

Peyton nodded. "As long as all goes well. It just gets hard being away from them for so long. I love my job but the fact that it takes me away from the people that I love sucks a little."

Clay nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know how that goes."

"Missing Quinn?"

It was Clay's turn to blush. "Is it that obvious?"

"Just a little." Peyton giggled. "You guys just got married, it's understandable."

"Yeah, but I have a feeling it doesn't get any better. Speaking of relationships, we really need to get our boy Nate out of on a date." Clay asserted. "I don't think I've seen him go on one date since I've known him and trust me, he's had a lot of offers."

Peyton snorted knowingly. "Maybe he's gay."

Clay laughed loudly, waving his hand in dismissal. "Trust me, that man is not gay. He's just too involved in his work."

"Oh, just leave him alone. If he doesn't want to date, you can't force him." Peyton hissed. She opened her mouth to say something else but she saw a movement in her peripheral vision that stopped her. Looking over to Haley and Chase's table, she watched as they got up to leave. Quickly, she alerted Nathan that they were on their way out.

~x~

They walked out of the restaurant hand in hand, something they found themselves doing quite often. There was no label between them but that didn't stop the boyfriend/girlfriend tendencies to appear every once in a while. They stayed like that until they reached Chase's car which was parked at a meter about four cars down from the restaurant's front opening.

"Do you, uh, want to come over tonight?" Chase asked, removing his hand from hers and stuffing both of his hands in his jean's pockets.

She gave him an apologetic smile. "I would but Brooke has been blowing up my phone since I got here. I should really go see what's up with her." Okay, so she was lying. Brooke hadn't texted her once the entire night. She just wasn't feeling up to sex tonight. "Definitely next time."

Clay acquiesced, a small frown on his face. "Okay, well then, text me when you get home safe." He leaned in and pressed his lips chastely against hers to which she responded. After a few seconds he pulled away and walked to the driver side of his car, giving her a small wave before entering the vehicle. Haley returned the wave and waited until he drove away before she made her way back to her car.

Nathan was gripping the steering wheel in front of him so tightly that his knuckles were pure white and he was sure it was going to snap in half. Anger swept through him like a wildfire and he was no longer seeing clearly, he was seeing red. His throat was burning as he resisted the urge to scream, his jaw locked tightly. His stomach was in knots, twisting and turning in every direction. He was going to be sick.

Haley was gone but yet his eyes still remained on the place she stood moments before. He knew he shouldn't be acting like this. It wasn't his place, not anymore. But the image of that prick kissing her just kept replaying over and over again in his head, like a broken record. He was so lost in his rage that he didn't even hear the car doors open and then slam again, his partner's returning.

"Nathan?" Clay asked wryly, immediately noticing Nathan's tense body language. When he didn't answer, Clay put his hand on his shoulder which prompted Nathan to grab his arm, twisting. "Ow, what the fuck!"

Peyton jumped back when she saw the look on Nathan's face. His eyes full of fire. He was absolutely seething and out of the past six years she's known him, she'd never seen him this angry before. "Nathan, stop it. What is wrong with you?" She made an attempt to free Clay's arm from Nathan's grasp but it was no use.

Realizing that it was Clay and Peyton that were with him, he released his grip on Clay's arm. His eyes darting in between the two of them. He couldn't speak, in fact, he didn't want to speak. All he wanted to do was punch something repeatedly until his hand bled. Ignoring their questioning eyes, Nathan started the engine, threw the car in drive, and sped off.

"Nathan, man, I don't think you should be driving right now." Clay said cautiously, his eyes trained on the speedometer. The speed limit was thirty five and Nathan was nearing sixty, weaving dangerously between cars.

"I'm fine." He gritted out, his foot only increasing its pressure on the gas.

"Nathan Scott, what in the hell is wrong with you?" Peyton yelled, gripping tightly on to the back of Clay's seat.

"She was with another man." He spat out, sharply turning the wheel that sent both Clay and Peyton flying into the side windows.

"Who?" Clay asked, grabbing tightly on to the assist handle.

Nathan didn't answer. Instead he just kept driving until he reached the hotel parking lot. Parking poorly in the closest open spot, he hopped out of the car and slammed the car down shut, the glass of the window shaking and almost shattering with impact. Without waiting for Clay or Peyton, he stalked up to their room, forgoing the elevator and going up the stairs, taking two a time. Once inside their hotel room, he threw the keys on the counter and headed towards his room, kicking open the door.

Sitting down on his bed, he ran his fingers through his hair and roughly tugged on the ends of it. Hot tears were streaming down his face, making his vision even blurrier than it already was. So many feelings were hitting him at once- rage, regret, jealousy, sadness. His head was practically spinning, spinning with the same image over and over again. Jumping up from his bed, he walked over to his desk and stared at all of the pictures and paperwork he had been working on for the past few months. Without a second thought, he pushed everything off of his desk and on to the floor, knocking the lamp off in the process.

He had a move to punch the wall but two arms cross around his chest and pulled him away from the wall before he had a chance to. "You need to calm down and tell us what the hell is going on." Clay gritted into his ear before forcing him to sit on the bed.

Nathan immediately clenched the bed spread in his hands, his eyes staring straight at the floor. He was breathing hard, his chest heaving up and down. "She kissed someone." That was all he could get out.

"Who?' Peyton asked, kneeling in front of him. "Who do you keep referring to?"

He couldn't say her name. They would know. Hell, they probably already did know. He didn't think about his actions. He didn't think about the fact that his anger, his jealousy, and his regret were going to ruin the image he spent six years trying to build. Her name was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed the word back.

"Are you talking about Haley?" Clay interrogated.

Nathan's heart lurched.

"Okay, you know what, I've had enough of this shit." Peyton growled, standing up from her crouching position on the floor. She went to walk away when she heard Nathan squeak out a yes.

Clay furrowed his eyebrows together, his confusion only growing. First, Nathan breaks one of the most important rules about being an FBI agent. Now he was furious because their number one lead went out and kissed some guy. None of this was adding up to him. "I'm going to ask you this one more time and I want the truth- what is it with you and this case?"

Nathan kept silent. Instead, he just got up from the bed and kicked the desk chair as hard as he could, the wooden leg snapping in half. "Clay, I'm warning you."

Clay stood up and stepped closer to Nathan, their chests practically touching. "What are you going to do? Punch me? For what reason? You're the one who has been acting like a mad man since we were assigned to this case. If anything, I should be the one punching you. Punching you until you tell us what is really going on."

"There isn't anything going on."

"Cut the bullshit, Nate." Peyton spat. "You can't pull that line anymore. There is clearly something going on. Do you know this Haley girl? Is that it? Because it seems like you're easily worked up over her."

"I don't." He was trying to keep his cool, but he was losing his self-control a little more with each second that passed. There was no use in trying to lie. They weren't going to stop until they got the answer out of him.

Clay could sense Nathan's self-control waning. He saw it in the way his eyes kept flickering with anger. Every time Haley's name was mentioned, a little piece of this protective barrier he had up broke away. He looked at Peyton and smirked at her. There was only one way to get the answer out of him and he was risking a black eye by going about things this way, but he didn't care.

"Are you sure about that? Because apparently watching a guy put his hands on her and kiss her struck a chord in you." Clay taunted, poking Nathan hard in the chest.

Sensing what Clay was doing, Peyton joined in. "Just imagine what probably happened after their date. They seemed pretty serious. I bet they went home and they're fucking right about now. Does that make you mad Nathan? Knowing that this guy is still putting his hands and lips all over her?"

It was evil, taunting him about this. But this Haley girl apparently meant something to Nathan and it was the only way to get him to crack. His temper was no secret and it would only take a certain amount of pressure to get him to break. Four years of psychology classes and Peyton knew exactly how to get underneath someone's skin.

The picture Peyton painted for him was vivid in his mind. He could see that guy all over Haley, making her moan and scream out in pleasure. He felt sick again, the sinking feeling he felt the moment he saw them kiss returning. That was all Nathan could take. Fearing that he might actually hurt one of his friends, he turned around and punched a hole straight through the wall. The sound of drywall cracking echoed through the room. Both Clay and Peyton jumped back, their hands over their pounding hearts. Clay let out a sigh of relief, he really thought that wall was going to be his face. Peyton was wide eyed.

They sat in silence, Nathan leaning his head against the wall, his hand still inside of it. For some reason, the anger seemed to seep away and all he felt now was regret and fear. For the second time in the last twenty four hours, he had broken one of the cardinal rules of being an FBI agent- don't let emotions interfere with cases. That was the number one thing they taught you over and over again during training. But he couldn't help it. Seeing her with him had turned his world completely upside down. He could have tried to keep his emotions in check, but there was no use.

His dad was really going to kill him now. He was going to lose his badge, there was no doubt about it. Especially after what he was about to do. He was about to break yet another rule, a rule that was sure going to come with consequences.

Don't reveal classified information without the consent of a director.

But he didn't have a choice. He had to tell them. There was no going back now. They were already on to him. If he didn't, they wouldn't stop. They would keep prodding and prodding until he finally cracked. There was no way they were going to forget all the stunts he's pulled.

Taking a deep breath, he removed his hand from the wall, ignoring the stinging pain. It was broken. That he was sure of. Leaning back against that same wall, he avoided their eyes as a single tear streamed down his face.

"She's my wife."

* * *

Leave reviews please :)


	3. Chapter 3

So, some of you guys are angry with the fact that Haley is with Chase, even though she is still "married" to Nathan. Keep in mind, there is still a lot left for you guys to learn. I agree that Haley shouldn't be sleeping around but at the same time, I don't necessarily think that she's doing anything wrong. I guess I'm biased because I know all the things that you guys have yet to learn, hehe. You'll see what I mean as the story goes on. I do **absolutely love** hearing your guys' opinions though and your predictions...keep them coming! Also, just a quick note, this story is completely AU. Because of this, some of the things of the things that the characters do might not fit in with the personalities that they have on the show. I absolutely love their personalities on the show and I'm not saying that all of the characters are going to be drastically different but there many be some changes. I know most people know what AU is, I just felt like I needed to reiterate that.

Secondly, for those of you wondering where Lucas is, don't worry, he's coming ;) I couldn't leave him out. One of my favorite things in the show is the Scott brothers' relationship so there is no way he won't be included. He also won't be a side character either. If your read my other story, Sweet Mystery, Brooke is kind of a side character in that story. But the core 5 are equally important in this story, I promise. You won't see any Nathan/Haley or Lucas/Nathan action for at least a few more chapters, but I promise that it's coming.

P.S. I'm going to warn you all now, this is about to be a long journey but I promise you the ending will be worth it. I am a sucker for happy endings.

Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it! And to those of you who don't, I hope you have a wonderful day :)

* * *

"What do you mean she's your wife?" Clay asked, completely and utterly dumbfounded. Wife? There was no way.

With his unbroken hand, Nathan quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. "I mean, she's my wife."

"That's impossible." Peyton breathed out, stumbling backwards until she reached Nathan's bed, collapsing next to a slumped over Clay. "I've read her files cover to cover, it doesn't say anything anywhere about being married. Everything that is in her name is under Haley James, not Haley Scott."

"And, your file…your file has nothing in it about you being married either." Clay babbled.

Nathan shook his head, sliding down the wall and to the floor, cradling his broken hand. He winced when he accidentally pumped it, a sharp pain running up his arm "My dad classified all of that information, in all of her records and in mine."

"Why would he do that? Is that even legal?" Peyton questioned.

"How can you even classify information like that?" Clay pondered.

Nathan shrugged. "When you're the director, anything is legal."

"You shouldn't be on this case, not if your wife is involved." Clay affirmed, almost chocking over the word wife.

"It's complicated." Nathan keened. "I already told you guys enough. I can't tell you anymore."

They all just sat in silence after that. Clay and Peyton could not wrap their heads around the news that had just learned about their partner. They both figured that he had some kind of connection to this case but neither one of them could have predicted what Nathan just revealed. An ex-girlfriend, maybe. A wife? Not at all. None of it made sense. If they were married, why weren't they together? Why was Haley out on a date with another man? Why was their marriage hidden from their records? How was it possible that Nathan was allowed to work a case that involved someone so personal to him? They both had so many questions but by the looks of it, they weren't going to get any answers any time soon.

Nathan was thankful for the silence. By the looks on Peyton's and Clay's face, they had many questions, question he wouldn't be able to answer. Telling them the truth had lifted a huge weight off of his shoulders but that reprieve only lasted for a few moments. He was screwed. Absolutely screwed. His job was in danger. This entire case was in danger. And most importantly, Haley was in danger.

His hand was throbbing, the pain slowly becoming unbearable. Carefully, he held his injured hand tightly against his body and used his free hand to push himself off the floor. Mumbling something to Peyton and Clay about going to wrap his hand, he headed to the bathroom. He sifted through the bag of toiletries he had brought with him until his hand wrapped around a bottle of aspirin. Almost effortlessly, he popped the lid of the bottle off and dumped out three pills before popping them in his mouth and swallowing them dry. Next, he grabbed the first aid kit located underneath the sink and located an ace bandage. Gently he wrapped the bandage around his hand, wincing slightly. It wasn't what he needed, but it was going to have to do for now.

Using his free hand, he steady himself against the sink and took in a few deep breaths. He tried to fight back the image of Haley kissing that punk which was quickly reappearing in his mind. It was making him sick to his stomach. He wasn't surprised, not in the slightest. In fact, he kind of expected Haley to have moved on. There was no way that she was going to wait around for him forever. But that knowing that didn't stop it from hurting any less.

 _This is your fault, you idiot._

"I'm going to call Lucas." Peyton finally said, breaking the silence that seemed to be never ending.

Clay looked up and at her, "why?"

"He is Nathan's brother…he has to know something. Maybe he can bring some clarity to this situation." Peyton explained, standing up and heading out of the room to grab her phone.

Clay quickly jumped up, trailing right behind her, "maybe that's not such a good idea."

Peyton stopped dead in her tracks, whirling around to face Clay. "Why not? We clearly aren't going to get any answers out of him and I don't know about you, but I'm finding all of this way too hard to believe."

"Look, you're not alone in this. This whole thing is crazy to me and the thought of Nathan being married is so bizarre. But if he really is telling the truth, there must be some important reason why he's kept it hidden from us for six years." Clay grumbled.

Peyton's hands made their way to her hips, "so what do you suggest we do?"

He shrugged, "just move on with this case as if we never found out Haley is actually Nathan's wife."

"I don't know if I can do that." Peyton confessed, "I have too many questions. How am I supposed to work on the case when I feel as if I'm not getting the full story?"

"You're just going to have to suck it up and deal with it." Nathan demanded, walking into the hallway in which they were standing in, "unless you want to call my dad and request to be taken off this case, but that's totally up to you."

"I can't even look at you right now. I don't know how you expect me to just move on and act like everything is okay. There are rules, Nathan." Peyton argued. She just couldn't believe any of this.

Nathan rolled his eyes, "you think I don't know that? I've broken almost every single rule there is to break over the course of the last two days. I know you have questions and I wish I could answer them, but you know how this stuff goes."

"Your dad is going to be furious if he finds out that we know, isn't he?" Clay jumped in.

Nathan nodded, "furious is too kind of a word."

"So you really just expect me to forget about the fact that you're apparently married to a woman who happens to be the main target of this case and just move on with things like normal?" Peyton asked, her voice dripping with disbelief.

"No. I'm asking you to just keep that fact to yourself and continue on with the case." Nathan clarified, "please." He wasn't above begging, not when it came to this.

Peyton stared at his pleading eyes and her head felt like it was spinning. Clay seemed to be adjusting to everything with ease, immediately promising Nathan that he wouldn't say anything. She played by the rules, she always had. But for the first time in her life, she saw fear in Nathan's eyes. She'd seen him with a gun aimed at his head and a knife pressed against his throat but there was never a trace of fear in his eyes during those moments.

"I'll think about it." Peyton finally answered and watched as Nathan's face softened slightly, "but in the meantime, we should really go get your hand checked out."

Haley quietly unlocked the door to her apartment and tip-toed inside, just in case Brooke happened to be sleeping. It was dark except for the small light that was on above the stove. And it was quiet…too quiet if you asked her. Walking farther into the apartment, she hung her purse up on the back of one of the chairs. That's when she heard it- the faint sound of sniffling and whimpering coming from behind Brooke's closed bedroom door.

Immediately, Haley went to Brooke's door and swung it open, her heart practically shattering at the sight. Brooke was curled up in the fetal position, her arms wrapped tightly around one of her décor pillows. Her sobs were much louder now and from where Haley was standing, she could see Brooke's make-up running down her face. Brooke didn't even flinch or look up when Haley crawled into bed and draped her arms around her.

Haley wasn't sure how long they laid there before Brooke's crying started to subside. Figuring that Brooke would tell her what was wrong when she was ready, Haley remained silent. Another few minutes passed before Brooke shifted her position, laying so that she was facing Haley. Haley also adjusted her position, resting her head on her propped up hand.

"Julian and I are over. For good." Brooke chocked out, "he came over here to basically tell me that he was seeing someone else and that he wanted all of his things back."

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry." Haley whispered. She felt her blood begin to boil. She was never a fan of Julian. There was just something about him that made her not want to trust him. He was always blowing Brooke off and making her his second priority. Her best friend deserved better than that.

"I should have seen this coming. I mean, I already knew we were broken up but I had this unrealistic hope that we would talk things over tonight and everything would be okay. I didn't expect him to tell me he was seeing someone else." Brooke cried, the tears starting to flow down her cheeks again.

Haley reached over to wipe a few of the tears away, a gesture that made Brooke smile softly. "You're going to find a boy that loves you like you deserved to be loved, I promise. As far as I'm concerned, Julian is an idiot for letting you go."

"It just hurts, ya know? I really believed that he was the one I was going to marry. I saw a future with him and to think that he didn't see those same things kills me." Brooke muttered through her tears.

"I know babe, truth me, I know. But it gets easier. It'll take some time, but it does get easier." Haley attempted to make her feel better. She really just wanted to find Julian and give him a piece of her mind but she decided that probably wasn't the best of ideas. Right now her best friend needed her, her anger at Julian could wait. She pulled Brooke in a tight embrace, toying with her hair and whispering soothing words to her. It wasn't long before Brooke had cried herself to sleep, her soft snoring echoing through the empty room.

Careful not to wake Brooke, Haley slipped out from her grasp. Brooke stirred slightly, shifting so that she was lying in a more comfortable position. Noticing a throw blanket draped over the recliner in the corner of the room, Haley grabbed it and gently placed it over Brooke before exiting the room. Walking straight to her purse, she fished out her phone and unlocked it. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest as she scrolled through her contact list. When she found the name she was looking for, her finger hovered over the call button. The name before her seemed to be staring right back at her, glaring and taunting.

Glancing over to where Brooke's room was, she could see her sleeping. Even in her sleep, she looked completely broken. Despite her nerves and despite the fact that she hadn't talked to him in almost a year, she knew she had to call him. For Brooke. Pressing the call button, she held the phone up to her ear. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she didn't dare to breathe. After about four rings, a voice came over the line. A voice she hadn't heard in so long.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lucas, it's me, Haley. I need a favor."

"You broke two different bones in your hand, good job hot head." Clay teased, clapping his hand over Nathan's shoulder.

Nathan just rolled his eyes while holding a bag of ice to his hand. They were waiting for the nurse to come back to put the cast on his hand and she seemed to be taking her sweet time. "This isn't the first time."

"That doesn't surprise me." Peyton remarked bitterly.

Sensing the tension in the room, Clay clapped his hands together. "Okay, so what are we going to do?" He asked while taking a seat in one of the plastic chairs littered around the hospital room.

"About what?" Nathan asked.

"This case. Obviously your little reveal earlier changes everything but we can't just abandon each other or this case." Clay said with a pointed look in Peyton's direction.

Peyton let out a puff of air. "What do you suggest we do, Clay? Haley being Mrs. Nathan Scott completely changes everything."

"It doesn't have to." Nathan piped up.

"There is a reason that them being married was basically deleted from their files and if Nathan hadn't told us, we would still not know. We just have to go about this case like we don't know that little fact." Clay explained.

"So you both keep saying." Peyton mumbled.

"I know you both have a lot of questions and trust me, I wish I could tell you everything but the fact of the matter is that I can't. Truth be told, I was never going to tell you guys, mostly because of my father but also because I didn't want to. It's been hard keeping that under wraps for the last six years but I managed. It's a lot to take in, I get that. But, we have to keep going." Nathan pleaded, his voice low.

After a few moments of silence, Peyton finally spoke up. "Okay, fine. But I do have a few questions."

Nathan felt a sense of relief, the most relief he could feel with everything that was still weighing down on his shoulders. "I'm not really sure I can answer them." He answered honestly.

Peyton rolled her eyes before sitting forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "Does Haley know about Ian? Does she know that this case exists?"

"She knows of him but she doesn't know his name or who he is. As far as I know, she doesn't know about this case." He disclosed.

"How is that even possible?" Clay wondered out loud. "If the fact that her real last name is classified information, how does that not raise some question? Isn't her last name on her driver's license?"

Nathan nodded. "She's secure because in any kind of computer system, her ID scans as 'Haley James' instead of 'Haley James Scott' and that's the only reason why she is safe. Look, I know this all sounds absolutely crazy and that's because it is."

"Tell me about it." Clay muttered under his breath.

"I realize the irony of what I'm about to say, but you guys just have to trust me on this. My dad and I know what we're doing. We would never put you guys in any danger. I would never do anything to put Haley in any danger either." Nathan said with conviction.

"I just have on last question." Peyton mumbled.

"Go on."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why aren't you guys divorced or at least separated? From what I gather, you haven't seen her in about six years and she's out with another guy but yet, legally, you're married?" Peyton asked in a much softer tone of voice.

"Let's just say that I left in a hurry." Nathan muttered.

Before anything else could be said between the three of them, a smiling nurse came in. She was pushing a medium sized cart full of plaster and various color wrapping. "So, what color would you like?"

"Lucas Scott, it's been too long." Haley gushed at the blond standing in her doorway, her arms immediately wrapping around him.

"Haley James, you're still as beautiful as ever." He cooed back, circling his arms around her waist, squeezing her tight. The familiar smell of vanilla mixed with a whiff of cinnamon overwhelming his senses. God, he missed her. She was the last person he expected to be calling him that late on a Friday night but he had been eager to answer. About a year had passed since he last heard her voice and his missed his best friend like crazy. Not a day went by where she didn't cross his mind at least once.

A sense of safety engulfed Haley as soon as she was in Lucas' arms. Tears welled up in her eyes but she fought to keep them at bay. It was like this every time they reunited, although their reunions becoming less and less frequent as the years have gone by. Not having Lucas be a constant in her life was one of the most difficult things she's ever had to face. She knows that she could call him any time that she needs, he reminds her of that every time he's around, but something just doesn't seem right about that.

After several moments, Haley forced herself to pull away. He wasn't there for her, he was there for Brooke.

"I'm sorry for calling so late last night." Haley offered as she allowed Lucas to walk farther into the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

Lucas glanced around, taking in his surroundings. Not much has changed since the last time he was there. The walls were painted a different shade of brown and there were a few pictures hanging up that he hadn't seen before but that was about it. "No need to apologize, Hales. I'm glad you called. I've missed you."

She smiled softly. "I've missed you too."

An awkward silence appeared between the two of them and Lucas shifted from foot to foot nervously. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he asked "so where is our heart broken princess?"

Haley sighed, pointing to the closed door of Brooke's bedroom. "She hasn't left once today. I've never seen her like this, Luke. She just seems so…broken and I feel so helpless. I didn't really know what else to do so I called you."

Lucas involuntarily clenched his jaw, a surge of anger running through him. "I could wring Julian's neck for hurting her. I never did like that guy." He gritted out, his eyes glancing between Haley and Brooke's closed door.

Haley nodded in agreement. "I didn't either."

"Come on, let's go get her out of bed." Lucas declared, motioning for Haley to follow him. "One thing I've learned about Brooke is that the longer you let her wallow, the harder it is to cheer her up."

Ever so slowly, Lucas pushed open Brooke's bedroom door, his eyes immediately falling to the sleeping brunette. She was bundled up in about 3 different blankets, the top of her head peeking out from underneath the fabric. Her soft snoring could be heard, a small smile gracing both of Lucas' and Haley's faces. Inching forward, Lucas bent down to gently yank the blanket away from Brooke's body, giving her a little shake.

"Come on sleepy head, get up." Lucas said softly. When Brooke didn't budge, he gave her another shake.

A whine could be heard from Brooke has she turned over, burying her head farther into the pillows. "Go away."

Lucas chuckled slightly, rolling his eyes in the direction of Haley who just shrugged her shoulders. "Pretty girl, it's time to get up."

"I don't want to, Haley." Brooke mumbled, her voice muffled by the pillows.

Lucas turned to face Haley, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Since when do I sound like you?"

Haley couldn't help but giggle. "I have no idea."

Shaking his head, he turned to face Brooke again, this time pulling on her arm to force her to sit up, which of course she rejected. "Brooke, if you do not get out of that bed this instant, I swear to God I will pour cold water over you."

Brooke lifted her head up so that it was resting on the pillows instead of buried beneath them. "I shouldn't be allowed out of this bed. I'm so heartbroken and cried out that I think I'm becoming delusional. You sound like Lucas Scott right now and I know damn well that Lucas Scott is not standing in my bedroom right now."

"Actually Brooke, he is." Haley spoke up.

Immediately, Brooke turned over in her bed, her jaw practically dropping at the sight of both Lucas and Haley standing before her. She rubbed her eyes hard, fully expecting to just see Haley standing there after she reopened them. To her delight, Lucas was still there. Jumping up from her bed, her broken heart seemingly forgotten, she threw her arms around Lucas with a loud squeal. "Broody! What are you doing here?"

Lucas laughed, holding Brooke tightly against his chest. "Haley called me last night, she said something about a crying Brooke Davis and I rushed over here as soon as I could."

Pulling away, Brooke gave him a small smile, her heart practically beating out of her chest. "I can't believe you're actually here. It's been so long."

He nodded. "Trust me, I know. How are you doing?"

Brooke shrugged her shoulders, her smile slowly turning into a frown. "Okay, I guess." She moved to plop back down on her bed.

Lucas immediately sat down next to her, Haley claiming the seat on the opposite side of her. "You don't have to lie. Haley already told me that you were up the entire night crying."

Brooke shot Haley a look which Haley just shrugged. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Sometimes talking helps, you know that." Haley chimed in.

"I know but it's still so fresh, you know? Every time I think about it, I feel like there's a giant gaping hole in my chest, just throbbing over and over again. I don't want to think about it anymore. I just want to sleep." Brooke proclaimed, suddenly becoming really interested in a hangnail on her left hand.

"Well that's not gonna happen, at least not when I'm around. If you don't wanna talk about it, then fine we don't have to talk about it. But I'm not letting you wallow in self-pity all day. You're gonna come with me and you're gonna watch me beat Julian's ass." Lucas joked, tossing his arm around Brooke's shoulders. "What do you say?"

"Lucas!" Brooke shouted, giving him a shove. "You are not allowed to do that!"

He laughed loudly. "Fine. Then here's what we'll do- you're gonna shower and get dressed. Put on something that makes you feel beautiful. Then we're going to go out, all three of us."

"Oh I don't know about that." Haley began to protest.

"Yeah, I'm really not feeling up to that." Brooke agreed.

Lucas shook his head. "Not uh, you both are going and that is that. This is the first time that I've seen you both in God only knows how long and we're going to have some fun together. The best way to get over someone is get under someone else, remember Brooke?"

Brooke groaned, falling back so that she was laying down. "It hasn't even been twenty four hours yet."

"And I'm not trying to get over someone, so why am I involved in this?" Haley prodded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because you look like you could use a night out and who cares how long it's been? You're both going. I'm not taking no for an answer. Haley called me here to make you feel better and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Plus, I'm hoping to get you drunk so you'll tell me all of the terrible things Julian did to you so I have leverage when I go kick his ass."

About two hours and some more complaining later, Brooke and Haley were finally almost ready to go out to where Lucas had planned for them. Brooke was adjusting the bra she was wearing underneath her red strapless dress, a permanent scowl on her face. Haley had just finished zipping up her black leather booths, tucking the pant legs of her jeans in them. Neither of them really wanted to go out tonight. Haley had to be up early for her shift at the bar and Brooke, well, she would have rather been lying in bed with a tub of ice cream.

Once satisfied with the way she looked, Brooke turned away from the mirror and leaned back against her dresser, crossing her arms over her chest. "You really didn't have to call Lucas, Hales."

Haley looked up. "It felt necessary. I've never seen you so upset before. I really didn't know what to do."

"That must have been really hard for you." Brooke said quietly, her teeth sinking down into her lower lip.

Haley shook her head. "Not as hard as I thought it would be. It gets easier every time I call him. Plus when it comes to my best friend's happiness, my feelings are pushed aside."

Brooke smiled, walking over to Haley and pulling her up from the bed. She pulled her into a tight hug. "I love you for that Haley but you know, you really should call him more."

"So I've been told." After a few moments, Haley pulled away. "Now come on, we better get out there before Lucas comes barging in here and drags us out of here by our earrings."

Brooke cringed, a shiver running through her body. "He would do that too."

Walking out into the living room, they noticed Lucas lounging on the couch and scrolling aimlessly through his phone. When he heard the click of their heels, he looked up and immediately smiled.

"Well, it's about damn time." He muttered while picking himself up and off the couch. "I was beginning to think that I would have to come barging in there."

"That wouldn't have been necessary." Brooke giggled. "Now, how do we look?"

Brooke did a quick twirl and Haley placed her hands on her hips, popping the right one. Lucas took the time to gaze over their appearances. Brooke was wearing a red strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. The dress cinched at the waist and fell to the middle of her thighs. Her hair was pin straight and a pair of silver stilettos were on her feet. Haley, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and black heeled boots. Her shirt was a burgundy keyhole cold shoulder top. Her hair was thrown up in a curly ponytail.

"You both look hot." Lucas smirked. "I wonder how many guys I'm going to have to fight off tonight."

A light blush appeared on Brooke's cheeks as Lucas's eyes raked over her body causing Haley to just shake her head and laugh. They all grabbed their coats and headed out to Lucas' waiting car. It was quick drive to their destination and Haley let out a groan of dread when Lucas pulled in front of Tric. A sense of dread mixed in with nostalgia came over her as she took in the large brick building.

The place was absolutely packed but that came as no surprise to Haley. Ever since Lucas' mother opened the place up back when they were just kids it had been a hit. Tric was pretty much the only all ages club in a hundred mile radius of Tree Hill and many people took advantage of that. Haley had spent most of her adolescent life at Tric, whether she was helping Lucas and Karen clean the place up during the week or being an actual customer during the weekends. There we many memories made within those walls, some good and others not so good. Haley hadn't stepped foot in that place since her sophomore year of college and she was convinced she never would again…until now.

"Tric? Really, Luke? This is your big night out for us?" Haley criticized.

Lucas nodded, unbuckling his seat belt and turning in his seat so that he was facing Haley who was sitting in the backseat. "Oh come one, Hales. This used to be our place. Plus, my mom is working tonight, I'm sure she would love to see you."

"Karen's back in town?" Brooke squealed excitedly.

Lucas nodded. "She just closed the deal with corporate about opening up a Tric in Florida yesterday morning." He looked expectantly at Haley. Karen was like a second mother to her and she hadn't seen her in almost three years, she bound to give in.

Haley couldn't deny the surge of happiness that raged through her at the mention of seeing Karen again. Karen had meant so much to Haley growing up, it broke her heart when Karen started getting more involved with business which meant less time that she was home. Haley sighed in defeat before smiling, "fine, but I'm only doing this because I miss Karen."

The trio headed inside, passing the two bouncers that were standing at the entrance without a second look. Everyone who worked at Tric knew he was Lucas Scott was, Karen never stopped raving about her favorite (and only) son. The music blared and the strong scent of alcohol and sweat was in the air. It was absolutely packed, much like they predicted. Weaving through the mass of sweaty and dancing bodies, Lucas led them to the VIP booth in the back. Karen would be waiting for them there.

After scurrying their way through rows and rows of people, they reached the booth where Karen was sitting at. The older brunette was sipping gingerly on a glass of red wine when she saw Lucas approaching out of the corner of her eye. Once he was close enough, a bright smile spread across her face and she jumped out of the booth, immediately hugging him.

"Oh, how I missed you!" She exclaimed, hugging him tightly.

Lucas laughed, hugging her back just as eagerly. "I missed you too, mom. But I think you're going to be much more excited to see the two girls I brought with me."

It was then Karen noticed both Haley and Brooke standing behind her son. Her hands flew to her mouth as tears sprung in her eyes. "Oh my gosh! Haley! Brooke!" Rushing over to them, she hugged them both tightly. "It's been too long. You both have only gotten more beautiful as time has gone on."

"Oh you're one to talk, Karen! I swear you look younger and younger every time I see you." Brooke complimented her as she looked her up a down. A pair of black jeans, a red blouse, and a new haircut…that woman simply did not age.

"Haha, I appreciate the compliment. Now come on sit, sit, I want to hear all about your lives." Karen motioned for them to sit before sliding back into the booth. Once everyone was seated, she began to fire questions at them. "So, any special men in your life?"

"Mom, really?" Lucas groaned and the girls just giggled.

Brooke's giggle soon melted into a frown. "Not anymore." The last thing she wanted to talk about was Julian. This night was supposed to get her mind off of him, not remind her of him any chance it go.

"Oh honey, I don't like that tone of voice. What happened?" Karen interrogated, reaching over the table to squeeze Brooke's hand.

"I'm not sure she really wants to talk about it, fresh wounds and all." Haley butted in, smiling when Brooke gave her a relieved look. "As goes for me, there actually is someone."

Karen seemed to forget all about Brooke's broken heart at the mention Haley dating someone. "Really? What's his name? What does he do for a living? How long have you been together? Is it serious?"

Lucas looked perplexed. "How did I not know you were seeing someone?"

Haley laughed, tossing her head back. "Wow, so many questions. His name is Chase and he is a bartender at a bar down in the city. We've been together for a couple of months now."

"I take it you really like this guy?" Karen asked, smiling. It was nice to see a smile on Haley's face. For a while, Karen was sure she would never be able to see that again.

"He's a good guy." Haley answered. "It's easy with him and he's a lot of fun."

Karen raised an eyebrow at her. She leaned more over the table, folding her hands on top of each other. "You're avoiding my question, Haley."

"That's because she doesn't actually like Chase. He's just a distraction." Brooke blurted out, cringing when she realized what she had just said.

Haley whipped her head around to face Brooke, a look of shock on her face. "Brooke!"

"Oh boy…" Lucas muttered under his breath.

Brooke sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry, Hales. I shouldn't have said that."

"You really think that, don't you?" Haley accused, shifting in her seat so that she was more facing Brooke. "Don't lie to me either."

Brooke remained silent for a few seconds. She was choosing her next words wisely. "Honestly, I do but you know what I think. I've accused you time and time again of not moving on and each time we just end up in a huge fight."

"I have moved on." Haley stated sternly.

"Haley…"

"No I have. Just because I'm not in a serious or stable relationship doesn't mean that I haven't moved on. I'm finally happy, can't you just accept that?" Haley yelled. She didn't mean to go off but once the words starting flowing she couldn't stop. She was tired of Brooke constantly questioning her life choices. She was happy, what more satisfaction did she need?

"I want you to be happy, you know that. I'm just worried about you, that's all. I don't want you to go through what you went through last time you finally thought you found happiness." Brooke said lowly, her voice trailing off.

Haley tensed and grinded her teeth together. Instead of responding, she remained silent, her eyes trained on the marble table in front of her. Her hands were clenched into tight fists underneath the table. She took a few deep breaths to calm the raging inferno that was quickly forming inside of her. Brooke knew all of the ways to push her buttons and sometimes, like now, it drove her crazy. Haley forced herself to get her mouth wired shut. If she opened it now, there was no telling what would come out of it and the last thing she wanted to do was make the situation worse.

An awkward silence arose between all of them and Brooke shifted nervously in her seat. She made eye contact with Lucas who just shrugged his shoulders. She glanced over at Karen and saw that she was preoccupied by something on her phone, completely forgetting the previous conversation. Haley was refusing to look at her, her eyes focused solely on the table. She seemed to be deep in thought. When the silence became deafening, she slid herself out of the booth, excusing herself.

Weaving through the crowded club, she finally made it to the bar that had a queue about two people deep. Standing in the line, she began to look around the club. After a while, the line disappeared and she was up against the bar. An older looking man with a backwards hat and a gray beard smiled at her. She smiled back before telling him that she wanted an Apple Martini. He nodded and turned around, heading towards the back of the bar where the cocktail glasses were located.

Drumming her fingers against the countertop, she began to look around again. It was then she felt someone brush up against her and heard a voice that sent chills down her spine.

"One Miller Lite please, draft."

Whipping her head around, her knees almost gave out at the sight of the man standing next to her. Her heart started hammering in her chest and she suddenly felt sick. A wave of mixed emotions came over her-shock, anger, confusion, and sadness. She blinked hard, waiting for his image to disappear when she reopened her eyes but he was still there…every time. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her.

It couldn't be him. It just couldn't be.

But it had to be. Why would her mind conjure him up out of nowhere?

He looked just like him.

Older and more mature than she last remembered, but definitely just like him.

Did she say something? Could she even say something?

She swallowed roughly before chocking out, "N-Nathan?"

The man standing next to her seemed to tense before slowly turning around. When she got a good look at his face, she was a hundred percent certain it was him. His blue eyes stared back at her, the same shock and confusion in his eyes that she was sure hers were mirroring.

"Brooke?"


	4. Chapter 4

This is just a quick disclaimer, I don't really know much about how the FBI works or anything like that. I did try and do some research before writing this story but I still don't know everything there is to know. There were some things that I researched that I wasn't given clear answers for so I had to improvise. Since this is a fictional story, let's just pretend everything I say is true for the sake of the story.

There hasn't been any Naley interaction yet and unfortunately, there isn't any in this chapter either. But I will let you in on a little hint, this will be the last chapter that doesn't include any kind of Naley interaction. Which means that next chapter, Nathan and Haley will come face to face again for the first time in six years, dun, dun, dun. I normally wouldn't give information like that away but I know you all are anxious for some Naley action. Just stay with me, please. I promise you that it will all be worth it in the end. I have so much planned for this story and I already have up to chapter 7 written. I so badly want to just post all that I have written because I'm anxious for you guys to read it but I'm not gonna do that.

There is something else important that I should mention- Nathan isn't the "bad guy" in this story. I know it seems that way because everyone is angry at him. Haley "hates" him, Brooke and Lucas aren't big fans of him and so forth. I'll let you in on another hint- their dislike for him is a kind of a misunderstanding. You'll see what I mean as the story goes on.

P.S. If you haven't noticed already, I love cliffhangers. I don't really know why I love them but I just think if keeps the story interesting.

Okay, enough of my rambling, on with the chapter.

* * *

"N-Nathan?"

"Brooke?"

They both remained silent, staring at one another in utter shock. Neither of them knew what to say and neither of them could move a single muscle in their body. All the color had drained from both of their faces.

From the moment Clay had suggested they go out tonight after a rough last twenty four hours, Nathan knew it was a terrible idea and he should have listened to his gut. Seeing Brooke was not a good thing at all. Seeing Brooke meant that Haley wasn't far. Panic began to rise up inside of him. The last thing he expected was seeing someone from his past tonight. As far as he knew, they never came to Tric anymore.

All he wanted in that moment was for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

Brooke could vaguely hear the bartender place their respective drinks in front of them but she couldn't take her eyes away from Nathan. It was like seeing a ghost. Brooke was almost certain that she would never see him again, especially after what happened. Memories of the past came back in giant tides. The shock that she originally felt dissipated into a raging anger. Without a second thought, she brought her hand up and slapped him across the face.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Brooke spat out through gritted teeth.

Nathan jumped and with his non-injured hand, he covered his now stinging cheek. He was not expecting her to say anything, let alone slap him. But he deserved it, he wasn't going to question that. He rubbed his face and nervously bounced on the heels of his feet, unsure of what to say. He hadn't thought of a cover story. Hell, he hadn't even thought of the chance of running into anyone he needed to provide a cover story to. "I..uh..."

Brooke put her hand on her hip, her eyebrows raised in manner that was just so Brooke. "I'm waiting."

"I just came back into town this morning for uh…a job interview." Nathan silently cursed himself for stuttering so much. The hand that was on his cheek moved to the back of his neck and began to rub it in discomfort.

Brooke was skeptical, her eyes sizing him up. She didn't believe a single word that came out of his mouth, not anymore. "So you're telling me that you left without a word all those years ago and no one has seen or heard from you since but you're so quick to show your face because of a job interview? That's bullshit, Nathan, and you know it."

He dropped his hand and clenched his fingers into a fist at his side. Nathan had forgotten just how much Brooke aggravated him from time to time. Why couldn't she have just taken his lame ass excuse and walk away? The last thing he needed was her calling Haley over or even Haley coming to find Brooke. The more time he spent with Brooke, the bigger chance there was of that happening. Composing himself, he took a deep breath. "Believe what you want, Brooke, just please don't tell Haley that I'm around."

The raging anger inside of her increased at the mention of Haley's name. A sudden realization came over her and she had to resist the urge to slap him once again. She stepped closer to him, her eyes narrowing. "I swear to God, Nathan, that if you came back for her I will kill you with my bare hands."

Nathan gulped and shook his head. "I didn't."

A Brooke Davis threat was never an empty promise.

"You better not be lying or so help me God. You don't get to come back here after so many years and waltz back into her life, not after what you did." Brooke began, holding up her finger when Nathan opened his mouth to speak. "I've watched her cry and cry and cry over your sorry ass, to the point where she made herself sick. I've watched her continuously beat herself up and practically kill herself over you. I refused to do that again. You don't get to come back after all these years and break down everything she has fought so hard to rebuild, I won't allow it. So if you really are back for her, I advise you to turn around right now and leave, just like you did six years ago."

Nathan felt like someone had punctured his heart with a knife and was continuously twisting it in his chest. The wind felt like it had been knocked out of him. He knew his actions had hurt Haley, he wouldn't try to deny that but he selfishly down played the severity of it. But Brooke's words only confirmed what he tried to deny. He couldn't muster anything else out besides "please don't tell her."

She noticed the change in his demeanor. Her words cut him deep but she didn't feel one bit guilty for it. He deserved what she said and then some. Brooke stared hard at him before shaking her head. She grabbed her drink off of the bar counter top and turned on her heel to begin walking away.

"Brooke?" Nathan whispered pathetically before she was far enough away.

She turned around half way to face him. "What?"

"How is she doing?"

Brooke stared at him in disbelief before rolling her eyes. "You have absolutely no right to ask that, not now, not ever."

~x~

Nathan plopped his tired body down on his desk chair and opened up his laptop. Brooke's words kept replaying over and over again in his head. Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was the disappointed and angry look on her face. Peyton and Clay bombarded him with question after question about Brooke- who she was, why she blew up at him, etc., but Nathan couldn't find the strength to answer. Instead, he remained silent and headed straight to his room as soon as they returned home from Tric.

Once his laptop loaded up, he logged in to his email to see two emails from Marvin McFadden, his team's digital coordinator. Each one contained an attachment of some sort, either a picture or a PDF of some type of document. In the very first email, Mouth left a little note that said "I think you might find these useful. Call me if you want me to dig a little deeper."

He chose to open up the first attached picture on the first email. The first picture was of a house Nathan didn't recognize. The house was made of red brick and was one story. The garage was painted a pale brown and there seemed to be a giant dent in it. From the looks of it, it was a dent made by a car. The grass looked like it hadn't been cut in months, weeds growing in every direction. A screen door on the front door was barely hanging on by one hinge and all of the windows were boarded up by pieces of plywood. What looked to be abandoned children's toys littered the front porch. Zooming in on the picture, Nathan noticed a bright yellow foreclosure sticker pasted on to the front door.

Exiting out of that picture, he clicked on the next attachment which opened up a PDF of what looked to be a deed to a house. He noticed the address, 18876 West Wing, was the same as the address of the house in the picture. Scrolling down farther, he read:

 **Previous Owner** : Angela Banks, Deceased (January 13, 2013)

 **Deed Transfer Recipient:** Ian Banks, maternal son

Nathan's jaw involuntarily clenched as his eyes scanned across that name. His anger surging through him like a wild fire. Taking a deep breath as an attempt to calm down, he scrolled farther down the document. As he read, he gathered that Ian hadn't paid any of the bills in the last six months and neighbors haven't seen him entering or exiting the house in the last three months. Clicking on the red 'x' in the corner of the document, he moved on to the next email which contained two attached pictures

Opening up the first picture, he felt like someone had punched him right in the gut. It was a picture of a school, an elementary school to be exact. The white bricked building looked just as he remembered it. Trees lined the courtyard and outlined the playground that was adjacent to the building. In blue block letters, the words "Tree Hill Elementary School" rested above the entrance. He could almost hear the laughter and screaming of children running around that playground.

He could feel his eyes start watering and when the emotion became too much, he closed the picture and moved on to the second one. As soon as the second picture loaded, he regretted ever opening it. His eyes immediately fell to the little boy in the picture, a younger and much happier version of him. The same blue eyes that he saw in mirror every day stared back at him, making his stomach twist and turn. The happiness written on the boy's caused an ache to rise in Nathan's chest.

He needed to look away. His chest felt like it was caving in.

But he couldn't.

That little boy was a piece of him, a past him from the same past that haunted him during every single moment of every day. Just like the picture he had stashed away, he was scared that if he looked away for a second or even blinked, it would just disappear altogether. Without a second thought, he hit print and waited for the picture on the screen to print.

"Nathan, we have to go and we have to go now."

Clay's voice startled him and quickly, he folded the printed out picture and slid it underneath his laptop just as Clay and Peyton came barging into his room. Clay was clutching his phone tightly in his one hand. They both had a wild look on their faces, Nathan knew that look well. They found something and they were ready to pounce with the first opportunity they were given.

"What's going on?" Nathan asked.

"Mouth just called, he got a hold of an address to house where Ian was last seen…two weeks ago." Clay hurried out. "There hasn't been any activity in the last two weeks but it's the most recent lead that we have. I think it would be in our greatest interest to check it out."

"Right now? It's almost 2 am." Nathan responded, his thoughts immediately falling back to the pictures Mouth had sent him.

"Well no, not right now." Peyton piped up. "But it should be the first thing that we do in the morning."

"You guys go, I have something else I need to take care of." Nathan responded, silently praying that they wouldn't ask too many questions. Granted, they both knew the big piece of information he was hiding, but they didn't know everything and he had full intentions on keeping it that way.

"Are you sure?" Clay asked. "I figured you would be the first one to jump on this, considering, well you know, the circumstances."

"Normally, I would have but I had these plans for a long time and I kind of can't break them." He easily fibbed.

Peyton and Clay exchanged skeptical looks before shrugging towards one another. At this point, they had no choice but to trust whatever Nathan was doing.

"Alright, well, we'll call you if we find anything." Peyton vowed.

~x~

Haley wrung out the white rag into the bucket of soap and water before heading over to one of the tables she had just cleared. She wiped down the table thoroughly, scrubbing in the necessary places to remove any food residue left by the previous occupants of the table. Levy's was unusually slow for a Sunday morning but Haley didn't mind. It was just her and Samantha, a young college student, on the clock at the moment. The less people, the less stress it was for the both of them.

Haley finished wiping down the table and headed back behind the bar. Tossing the soiled rag back in the bucket, she turned her focus on cleaning the cocktail glasses that were still dirty from the night before. It wasn't her job to clean them, it was the night time bartender's job, but she was doing anything and everything to keep herself from thinking about last night. She felt guilty for blowing up on Brooke like she did and had every intention of apologizing to her but was never given the chance. Once Brooke returned from the bar, she seemed…distant. She remained emotionless the rest of the night and was extremely fidgety, continuously glancing around Tric as if she was looking for someone. Lucas had tried to make small talk with Brooke as the night went on but Brooke was only offering up one word responses. Haley wanted to chalk her behavior up to Julian and their break up, but Haley knew her best friend better than that.

"Wow, you still work at this crusty old joint?" A familiar voice broke Haley out of her thoughts and she looked up, smiling at Lucas who had now slid into one of the empty barstools.

"Yes I do." She giggled as she leaned against the counter of the bar. "It pays the bills and that's all that matters to me."

"You do know that you have a teaching degree, right? There are plenty of schools in Tree Hill looking for teachers." Lucas reminded her.

Haley sighed with a shake of her head. "We have this conversation every time you come around and I give you the same answer every time- my hearts just not in it."

Lucas held his hands up in defense. "Fine, whatever you say."

Haley smiled a little. "Can I get you anything? A drink? Something to eat?"

Lucas shook his head. "No, I just came here to talk to you."

Her smile only widened. "How's the writing going?" She asked, pushing herself off the counter to grab the stool that was off to the side. She dragged it until it was directly across from Lucas and hopped up on it.

Lucas took in an aggravated breath of air before letting it out again. "It's not…at all. I've spent hours sitting in front of a blank computer screen only to type a sentence out and then delete it a few minutes later."

"That's such a shame." Haley clicked her tongue. "I cleared a spot on my bookshelf for your next book, right next to the first one but all its doing is collecting dust."

"I'm friends with you, why?" Lucas teased, squinting his eyes at Haley

"Because you love me." She stated matter o'factly. "In all seriousness, maybe you should start looking for a new passion. If the writing's not coming to you, maybe the heart just isn't there anymore."

Lucas folded his arms over one another and leaned towards her. "You sound a lot like Skills and Tim right now."

"You still live with them?" Haley asked but before Lucas could answer, Teddy and Steven walked in, immediately smiling at Haley and heading to their normal table. "Actually hold that thought, my regulars just walked in."

Haley quickly grabbed her cheat sheet pad and headed over to their table, forcing a smile. Over time, it became easier and easier to tolerate them but she still found herself cringing in their presence on many occasions. Luckily for her, they kept their conversation to a minimum and she was able to get back to Lucas rather quickly. She gave her regulars' order to the cooks before hopping back on the stool that was across from Lucas.

"Are you going to get in trouble for talking to me instead of working?" Lucas pondered, looking around the small establishment. There weren't many people around but he still felt guilty for distracting Haley at her work.

Haley pursed her lips and shook her head. "This place is dead right now and even if it wasn't, I'd still be spending my time talking to you."

He grinned before sighing, his voice taking on a more serious tone than before. "With everything that has been going on with Brooke, I never did get a chance to ask you how you're doing."

Haley shrugged her shoulders. "I'm still breathing, aren't I?" She was tense. She knew exactly what Lucas was referring to and that was the last thing she wanted to talk about. He was only concerned about her and she loved him for that but sometimes she wished he would just leave it alone. She had convinced herself a long time ago that she was okay and she didn't need him constantly bringing up the past. Lucas was probably the only person that she felt comfortable talking about all of this with, even over Brooke, but that didn't mean that she wanted to.

"Hales…" He keened.

Haley crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath. "I'm doing the best that I can regarding the circumstances." It looked like Lucas wasn't going to let up.

"Are you still seeing Olivia?" He interrogated.

"Twice a month." Haley answered courtly. "She thinks that I'm improving with each week so she'll probably cut down our sessions to once a month soon."

"And what do you think?"

Haley paused. She wasn't perfect, she was never going to be perfect but she also wasn't as bad. Looking down, she began to nervously play with the strings on her apron. If she were going to be honest, now would be the time. "I don't really know. Some days are good days, some days are bad days. I know that I'm a lot better than I was a few years back but I still carry that weight around with me every day. The memories of that night still haunt me. I still catch myself crying myself to sleep some nights.

"And you know, my mom seems to think that one of these day's I'm going to wake up and be completely okay again but I honestly don't think I will. I can't imagine being the same person I was before all that happened. The girl I was seems like a distant memory now. It's been six years and I know six years is a long time but how does someone recover from what I've been through?" Haley was shocked with just how much she had opened up to Lucas. But it felt good to finally speak to someone that wasn't her therapist. She could never get herself to open up to Brooke like this.

Lucas reached over the bar and grabbed one of her trembling hands, squeezing it. "No one expects you to be the same person you were before, Haley. That night changed all of us. I'm proud of you for making it this far and I know that you can keep going, especially with me and Brooke by your side."

Haley looked up at his concerned and warm eyes, giving him a small smile. "Thanks Luke."

He returned the smile before continuing. "Have you looked more into filing for a divorce?"

"I did file but he-who-shall-not-be-named has to sign the papers and there is no known address for him. According to my lawyer, he hasn't stayed in one place for a longer than a month so there's no telling if he would even get the divorce papers. The papers are currently just chilling in a folder in my desk." Haley yanked her hand away from Lucas and ran her fingers through her hair in a frustrated manner. "That is so like him, to keep a claim on me even when he's nowhere to be found."

Lucas could easily the changing emotions written all over Haley's face- anger, regret, betrayal, fear…sadness. "I wish you would call me more, Hales." He said suddenly. "Just because my brother left doesn't mean that I left you too. I'm always here for you and I miss being around you."

"I know." Haley sighed. "I just…it doesn't seem right, you know? I don't want to be a bother to you."

Lucas shook his head, dismissing her thoughts. "You could never be a bother. You're my best friend and you always will be."

"God, I really needed to hear that." Haley breathed out.

Lucas gave her a reassuring smile. Noticing the clock behind her, he quickly got up. "As much as I would love to stay and talk to you more, I really need to get going."

Haley also got down from her stool. "Wait, before you go, have you talked to Brooke today? She was acting really weird last night and at first I thought it was because I blew up on her but now I'm not so sure."

Lucas shook his head. "Nope, she was already gone when I woke up this morning."

~x~

Nathan stared at the school building in front of him, good and bad nostalgia consuming him. The building almost looked the same as it had years ago, just a little bit more worn. The white brick wasn't as bright and the front doors were no longer blue but instead painted black. Glancing around, he noticed a little girl and an older woman, presumably the little girl's mother, running around the playground near the school. He sat there for a few minutes, just watching them, and thanking God that the windows to the SUV were tinted.

His heart ached at the sight before him. The little girl was so happy, running around the playground with her blonde curly hair bouncing with every step that she took. The large smile on her face didn't waiver once, not even for a second. Nathan could vaguely hear her joyful laugh through the window. She was so innocent, so full of life and Nathan was envious. It had been years since he was surrounded by that kind of happiness.

It was then that Nathan dug out the picture he had printed and folded into his back pocket. Unfolding the now unkempt piece of paper, he held it up to the window. Glancing between the picture and the scene before him, Nathan only felt the ache in his heart increase. The little boy in the picture had the exact same smile on his face that the little girl did. His emotions were starting to get the best of him and made a move to crumple up the piece of paper when he noticed something, something he hadn't seen before.

In the background of the picture was a man, staring directly at the blue eyed boy. The man's face and figure were blurry, melting in with the background colors of the picture. He was leaning up against one of the trees. It was hard to make out any of the man's features, besides his blonde hair and black clothing but there was no mistaking what he was looking directly at.

~x~

Clay and Peyton slowly approached the two story house. They were both decked out in their protective gear- a bullet proof vest with FBI written in bold white letters was covering their chests, a gun strapped to their waists, and a their badges hanging around their necks on a silver chain. Clay glanced continuously around the premises, looking for any sign of movement.

There weren't any cars in the driveway and mail was spilling out of the red mailbox. The grass was neatly trimmed and the flower pots surrounding the wood porch looked healthy. The front room window was wide open, the light blue curtain blowing in the wind. Peyton took notice of the black and red "Beware of Dog" sticker that was in the window.

Clay approached the front door slowly but paused when he noticed something. He put his arm up, stopping Peyton from going any further. He pointed towards the door which was slightly ajar. Giving each other a look, they both popped their guns out of their holsters. Peyton gave Clay a nod and he pushed open the front door carefully. They stepped into the house, their guns positioned in front of them. Clay headed one way while Peyton headed another, walking slowly and being cautious of how loudly they were walking.

"FBI" Clay shouted. "Is anyone home?"

He waited for a few seconds and nothing. No voices or no sound of movement. They walked through the entire house to find it completely empty.

Peyton rejoined Clay and sighed loudly. "I think it's clear."

Clay nodded in agreement, placing his gun back in its holster on his waist. "I guess we should look around."

He headed towards the first room he saw. The door was closed and when he attempted to open it, it wouldn't budge. Furrowing his eyebrows together, he attempted to turn the knob again but came to the conclusion that it was locked. "Peyton, check this out."

"What's up?" She asked when she walked up to Clay.

"This door, it's locked." He explained.

"Okay, well use your so called 'muscles' and get it open." She remarked, placing her hands on her hips.

Clay rolled his eyes before turning his attention back towards the door. Using all the strength he could muster up, he slammed his shoulder into the door but with no luck. Backing up slightly and ramming into it again, the door still didn't budge. Before he had a chance to do it again, Peyton stopped him by pushing him away. Lifting her leg up, she kicked the door right above the handle and smirked when it flew open. Clay, once again, just rolled his eyes.

They took a few steps into the room before freezing. Nothing could have prepared them for what was waiting for them in that room. Peyton grabbed for Clay, trying best to steady herself. She suddenly felt very faint. Clay fumbled around for his cell phone, almost dropping in in his shaking hands as he scrolled through his contact list. Finding Nathan's name, he quickly clicked on it and held it up to his ear.

Once Nathan answered, he spoke in a shaky voice "Uh, Nate, we, uh, have a huge problem."

~x~

Haley headed to her car after a long day of work. She wasn't supposed to work as late as she did but one of the waitresses had called in sick and Levy's had a larger dinner rush than normal. She didn't mind though- the longer she worked, the more tips she received. The sun was just setting in the sky and the air was slightly colder than this morning. Pulling her coat closer to her body, Haley continued to walk to her car.

Once she reached her car, she dug in her purse for her keys. It was then that she felt it- a pair of eyes watching her. Halting her actions, she quickly looked around but saw no one. A chill ran down her spine while she quickly resumed looking for her keys, more frantically than she was moments before. She couldn't explain it but something just felt off. She could practically feel someone's eyes boring into her back.

Finally, her hands wrapped around her keys and she quickly go in her car, locking the door. Turning the car on, she quickly sped off. The eerie feeling of someone watching her didn't go away until she was far, far away from Levy's.


	5. Chapter 5

So I got a question in the reviews that I figured would be a good idea to try and clear up as much as I can without giving anything away. For the guest wondering how Nathan was never "found" if he's an FBI agent. I may have not made this is as clear as I should have, which I apologize for! But, it's not that Nathan has never been "found", it's more that he's been on the move a lot. Haley tells Lucas that her lawyer can't find a known address for him because every few months it changes. So it's not that he's necessarily "missing" he just doesn't have a stable location. She very well can't send divorce papers to an address that Nathan might not actually be at by time they're sent. Hopefully that clears up any confusion. If not, feel free to ask any more questions!

Also, I realized that when I was going back through this story that I made a slight mistake. I had two versions of chapter three saved and by accident I posted the wrong one. It's not really that a huge of a deal but at the last minute I decided to change something. The entire chapter is the same except for one little line. Nathan tells Clay that Haley doesn't know who Ian Banks is. She knows of him but she doesn't know his name. That part was omitted in the chapter that I was supposed to post. **Haley does know Ian Banks' name and she knows who he is, however, she does not know about the case.** I am so sorry for this little mistake. Totally an error on my part.I am going to go back and change it for any new readers that come from but that's not going to do much for those of you who have already read it, lol. I wish I would have caught it sooner. I don't know how much people really pay attention to minor details like that but just in case!

I just want to take a moment to thank all of you that have said such kind words about me taking a break from Sweet Mystery. I was not expecting such a positive reaction and it means the world to me that you all support me. I haven't decided how long of a break it's going to be yet I'm banking on it being relatively short. I just need to build back up my motivation/confidence.

Alright enough of my rambling, on to the story. (Don't kill me for the ending. You know how I love my cliffhangers)

* * *

Nathan couldn't move.

He couldn't breathe.

He couldn't think.

He couldn't do anything but stare at the wall in front of him. Pictures, hundreds of pictures, covered the bedroom wall from top to bottom. There wasn't a single centimeter of the wall that wasn't covered by a 4x6 picture. Some of them were overlapping but, for the most part, they were all perfectly aligned. Some of them were held up by a piece of tape while others were punctured by a thumbtack.

Nathan couldn't believe his eyes. This had to be a dream, no a nightmare. A nightmare that he desperately wanted to wake up from. There was no way this was real. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying and hoping that once he reopened them, he wouldn't be standing in that room, in that house. But, when he reopened his eyes he found himself standing in the same place he was moments before. His heart beat only increased in speed and the nausea only intensified.

The pictures in front of him were all of Haley.

There were shots of Haley walking out of the grocery store with plastic bags hanging on her arms. Other ones pictured Haley leaving Levy's or walking into restaurants with the same guy she was with at Lincoln's the other night. Those hurt but he couldn't dwell on them for too long. He had bigger things to worry about. So many of them were of her just living her daily life, doing normal, mundane things. But those weren't the pictures that bothered Nathan the most. The pictures that bothered Nathan the most were the ones that were taken of her inside her own apartment. There were ones of her changing or getting out of the shower, even of her sleeping. Some pictures looked older, some looked newer.

This time, he was actually going to be sick.

Nathan wasn't sure how he managed to move from the spot he was rooted in but the next thing he knew, his knees were in the grass on the front lawn and he was emptying the contents of his stomach. He could hear Clay asking him if he was alright but he sounded miles away. He was heaving, fighting to get any kind of air into his lungs. He couldn't hear anything but the pounding of his heart and the gasping of his breath.

This couldn't be happening. He did everything he could to protect her but now that all of that was futile. Ian Banks knew where Haley was. He had known this entire time.

Nathan felt himself being yanked off the ground. Clay pushed him until his back collided with the side door of his SUV. Then, Clay's hands were on his shoulders, shaking him. His lips were moving but Nathan couldn't make out a single thing he was saying. Out of nowhere, Peyton walked up next to Clay and nudged him out of the way. It was seconds later that palm of Peyton's hand connected with Nathan's cheek in a thrashing blow.

"You need to get it together." He heard her demand in a sharp voice.

Rubbing the side of his face, he looked at her in shock. His breathing was still ragged but the stinging pain in his cheek was apparently the trick to bringing him out of his trance. "I'm trying" was all he could muster out.

"Well, try harder. I get how terrible this all is. Seeing all of those pictures was hard for you and it's scary for all of us but separate your emotions, Nathan. You need to call your father right now, so we can get this all sorted out, okay?" Peyton was speaking to him in a calm yet stern voice.

Nathan nodded and straightened himself up. He knew she was right. Standing there and freaking out wasn't going to do him any good. Every second counted now. With shaky hands, he dug his phone out of his pocket and quickly found Dan's contact. It rang twice before his father's voice came through the receiver.

"Dad, we have a problem." He squeaked out.

"What is it, son?" Dan asked, the concern clearly evident in his voice.

"Clay and Peyton went to the address of Ian's last known location that Mouth sent us." He began. He could feel his throat starting to close up again. "There's pictures of her everywhere, Dad. Recent ones, old ones. He knows where she is. He's always known."

There was a moment of silence before Dan began to speak again. "I know this is the last thing you want to do, but you need to bring Haley into custody and you need to do it now. I'll book a flight to Tree Hill right now and I'll be there in a few hours."

~x~

Haley tossed her keys on the counter and hung her jacket up on the hook nearest to the front door. Her apartment was dead quiet, almost too quiet for her liking. There was a chill deep in her bones that couldn't seem to shake. Someone was watching her outside of Levy's, she was sure of it. The eyes were like lasers, piercing her skin with every move that she made. That thought made her skin crawl and a shiver run down her spine.

She always hated leaving Levy's so late at night. Employees were required to park behind the bar which was basically an alley sandwiched in between Levy's and an old abandoned laundry mat. The empty building freaked Haley out the most. There was no telling how many homeless people hung out within the walls of that musty place. She'd heard countless stories of police ransacking the place and finding reminisce of life. Haley recalled one of her co-workers telling a story about how she walked to her car one night to find a homeless man in her backseat. That's what Haley decided to chalk up her mysterious admirer to- a wrangled homeless man.

Plopping down on the couch, she ran her hands over her face and let out a loud sigh. Every part of her body ached and the light throb of a headache was starting to build up behind her eyes. This was normal for her after her shift. Being on her feet for about eight hours straight, running around like a chicken with its head cut off, and carrying heavy trays of food was bound to have some kind of negative impacts on a person's body. Lifting her feet up, she placed them on the coffee table in front of her and laid her head back, closing her eyes.

Her mind began to wonder the second her eyes fell shut. The conversation she had with Lucas hours prior was the main focus of her thoughts. It felt good to finally talk to him to that extent again. Lucas had always been an integral part of her life and it nearly killed her to not have him by her side during her darkness moments. But things just became too difficult. He soon became a constant reminder of everything that she had lost. It was just as hard having him around as it was to let him go.

The sound of the front door unlocking and then slamming shut again moments later had Haley jumping slightly. She twisted her body so that she was facing the front door more and a small smile graced her face when Brooke entered the living room. Her small smile quickly turned into a frown when she observed Brooke's stoic expressions, the same expression she's had since their night at Tric. Haley had tried to apologize countless times for her harsh comments but Brooke would just offer up a smile and claim that her mood wasn't due to their little tiff.

 _Maybe it was just her break up with Julian?_

"Hey, how was your day?" Haley asked casually.

Brooke jumped slightly as if she hadn't been expecting Haley to say anything. "It was okay." She answered shortly.

Then there was silence.

Haley couldn't stand this awkwardness that had now settled between them. Since the day she met Brooke there hadn't been even a second of awkward silence. Now that's all their friendship consisted of- short conversations and awkward silences. It had only been a little more than twenty four hours since all of this weirdness had started between them but it was starting to drive her crazy. She wanted to believe that it was just Julian but deep down Haley knew that there was something else going on. She could always read Brooke like book.

"Lucas said you were already gone when he woke up this morning, where did you go?" Haley asked, breaking the silence.

Brooke had taken a seat on the recliner that was adjacent to the count, her legs dangling over the arm. "Errands."

"Alright, I can't take this anymore," Haley sighed suddenly. "What's going on with you, Brooke? You won't look at me for longer than 3 seconds. You've barely spoken to me. I've been trying to apologize to you for my outburst but you don't want to hear it."

Brooke was gnawing on the inside of her cheek as Haley ranted to her. Guilt swept over her like a tidal wave. She knew that her behavior over the past day or so has been questionable but Brooke honestly felt as if she had no choice but to act the way that she was, at least until she figured out what to do about the fact that Nathan Scott was back in Tree Hill. There was absolutely no way she could tell Haley, that wouldn't go over well, not in the slightest. It took everything in her to not just blurt it out. Staying quiet was the better option. The less she opened her mouth, the less the chance there was of her spilling her secret.

"Hales, you didn't do anything, I promise." Brooke said lamely.

Haley crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the side. "It sure doesn't seem like it. You're never like this towards me."

"I know, I just have a lot going on right now. The whole Julian thing is still very fresh and-"

"You've got that look, Brooke."

"What look?"

"The look that basically screams that you're hiding something."

 _Shit._ Brooke silently cursed herself for being so transparent to Haley. The look on Haley's face made it clear that she wasn't backing down until Brooke opened up to her. She opened her mouth only to close it again seconds later. How could she look her best friend in the eye and tell her that her estranged husband is suddenly back in town? The same husband that had caused her years and years of pain?

Brooke opened her mouth again when a loud, harsh banging on their front door startled both of them. A male's voice vibrated through their entire apartment, "FBI, open the door." The two girls exchanged confusing looks before Haley pushed herself off of the couch and headed towards their front door. Quickly unlocking it, she swung the door open to reveal two people dressed in black vests with the letters FBI written across their chest and badges dangling from around their necks.

The one of the left was a skinny blonde. Her curly hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail. Her eyes were a piercing green and her lips were pressed together in a tight line. The only word Haley would use to describe her was "badass." Haley couldn't help but feel intimidated under her scrutinizing gaze. The man standing next to her looked a lot friendlier. His hair was a light brown, almost blonde and his blue eyes were softer than the woman standing next to him. He was tall and very well built.

Haley just stared at them in utter confusion.

"Hi, I'm Agent Clay Evans," the male began, "and this is my partner Agent Peyton Sawyer. We're with the FBI under the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Are you Haley James?"

Haley nodded, her eyebrows furrowing even further in confusion. "That would be me. Is there something wrong? Am I in trouble for something?"

Haley could feel the presence of Brooke standing behind her before the sound of her voice echoed through the room. "What's going on?"

The frigid expression on the blonde's face that Haley now knew to be named Peyton melted into a much friendlier one. Her once tightly closed mouth turned into a soft smile. "No, you're not in trouble. But we really need to take you down to the police station to ask you a few questions."

"About what?" Brooke spoke first. She took a step forward and crossed in front of Haley. "You can't just attain someone without telling them why they're being attained. It's Haley's right to know."

This time it was Clay who had the soft smile on his face. "Yes ma'am, you would be correct. However, Haley isn't being arrested. She is being brought in as a witness, not a suspect."

"Witness? For what?" Haley asked, crossing her arms over her chest. None of this was making sense to her at all.

"Look, Haley, it would just be in your best interest if you come with us." Peyton coaxed. "We'll explain everything when we get to the station. Please do not make us have to result to physically forcing you."

"Can you even do that?" Brooke asked incredulously.

"Under these circumstances, yes." Clay answered.

Haley stared at the two agents in front of her for a few moments before sighing in defeat. "Okay, um, I'll come with you guys. Just let me get my purse and my coat." She turned away from the front door and headed to gather her things with Brooke hot on her heels.

"Do you have any idea what the fuck this is about?" Brooke asked in a hushed whisper.

Haley shook her head as she slipped on her coat. "I don't have a clue. But, just call Lucas, okay? And then you two can meet me at the station. I'm sure that whatever this is, it won't take long."

"Are you sure?"

Haley nodded. "I'm positive."

But, if she were being honest with herself, she wasn't sure at all. There was an unknown feeling swirling around in the pit of her stomach. That same chill that she felt in the parking lot of Levy's returned but this time it was a hundred times stronger. She repressed the shiver and gave Brooke a tight smile before heading back to the waiting agents standing at her down.

She had a bad feeling about this.

~x~

The walls were a pale blue, almost steel looking. They were completely blank except for the small clock mounted above the door and the mirror, which she assumed was actually a mirror-window, located right across from her. She was sitting at a wooden table in the middle of the room. The chair she was sitting in was a metal folding chair and no matter which way she positioned her body on it, she couldn't get comfortable.

Time ticked on slowly. It felt as if she had been sitting in that room for hours when in reality it had only been about twenty minutes. She was shaking her leg nervously and she couldn't stop playing with the little gold ring on her pinky finger. Being in this room made her uneasy. The last time she was in one of these rooms was the night….

She couldn't even finish that thought.

Finally, the door swung open and both Clay and Peyton walked in. This time they were without their bullet proof vests but their badges still dangled around their necks. Peyton was dressed in a dark grey business suit while Clay wore a black button down and black slacks. Clay was carrying what looked like a very large file, the word "James" written in bold letters across it. Haley's entire body tensed and her heart was pounding loudly in her ears. Her stomach was churning and she had grip onto the wooden table in order to keep herself from standing up and running right out of that room. Clay gave her a comforting smile before occupying one of the chairs that were located across from her. Peyton took the seat next to him.

"I know this seems extremely out of the blue but we need to ask you a few questions before we explain exactly why we brought you in. Is that okay with you?" Clay asked her in a soothing tone.

Haley couldn't seem to find her voice so she just nodded.

Clay opened the file and Peyton grabbed a hold of the first item on top of it. It was a picture of some man but from where Haley was seated, she couldn't see who it was.

"Does the name 'Ian Banks' ring a bell to you at all?" Peyton asked, holding the picture in her hands.

Haley's body tensed. She hadn't heard that name in years and it still served to send chills down her spine. She slowly nodded her head.

Then, Peyton placed the picture down and slid it over to her. "Is this him?"

As soon as Haley's eyes landed on that picture, she felt her throat close up. It was a mug shot of blond haired man with bright blue eyes. He was smirking at the camera with a menacing look in his eyes. Haley felt as if someone had just dumped a giant bucket of ice cold water on her. She could recognize that man anywhere, those haunting blue eyes and that damn smirk made her sick. His face was forever engrained into her mind.

Haley could practically hear the echoes of her screams as she stared at that picture. Images of Ian smirking and scowling at her flooded her mind. Her chest tightened and she felt like she couldn't breathe. His face only used to exist in her nightmares and now here it was again when she was consciously awake.

"I take it by the changes in your demeanor that you know exactly who he is?" Clay's voice broke through her hazy mind.

"Yes." She choked out.

"Have you seen this man recently?" Peyton then asked her. She reached her hand over the table and grabbed Haley's trembling hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

Haley shook her head. "I-I haven't seen him since, since…" She couldn't finish her sentence. Her throat felt too dry to talk and she could feel tears beginning to burn in the back of her eyes.

"It's okay, Haley. You don't have talk right now, but we do need you to listen very carefully. I'm not sure how much you know about Ian but he has been responsible for twelve girls being raped and killed over the course of the last ten years. He was arrested about a year and half ago but escaped before his trial. The FBI and almost every crime unit in the United States has been on the lookout for him with no avail. He's sneaky, he's fast, and he's always one step ahead of us."

"Fortunately for us, we were able to finally get one step ahead of him by figuring out you were his next target. He made a mistake by leaving a victim list behind at his last murder. The list contained every single name of every single murder he has been linked to. All of the names were crossed off…except for yours. The FBI databases have been keeping tabs on you for the last couple months. It wasn't until a two weeks ago that your file landed on our desks and we were sent here to Tree Hill. We were told to not bring you in until we absolutely had to." Clay explained in the most level voice that he could.

Haley couldn't concentrate on his words, they just went in one ear and out the other. The only thing she could do was stare at the picture of Ian in front of her. She felt Peyton squeezing her hand but that wasn't doing anything to calm her anxiety. Haley wasn't even aware that she was crying until her tears landed on the wooden table. The next thing she knew, Peyton's hand left Haley's and the screeching of the chairs against the floor echoed through the room.

"We'll give you some time to think over what we told you. Someone will be in here shortly to discuss exactly why you were brought in and what we're going to do next." Peyton said while walking over to the side of the table that Haley was sitting at. She crouched down so that she was eyelevel with her. "I promise you, we're going to do everything we can to keep you safe."

~x~

Nathan couldn't keep his eyes off of Haley as he looked on from the window. Peyton and Clay had just left her a few minutes prior. The picture of Ian was no long sitting on the table in front of Haley but her eyes were still trained on that same spot. Even though her head was down, he could tell she was crying and it was taking everything in him to not run in that room to comfort her. He was certain, however, that would make everything worse. She wouldn't want him there.

Seeing her still took his breath away, even after all this time. A part of him found comfort in that feeling. It was a little piece of his happier past that he could hold on to. It was his salvation. The other part of him hated that he still felt so strongly about her. She wasn't his anymore and there was no greater pain than that notion.

"I'm taking you off this case." Dan announced, making his presence known. He had been watching his son for the last ten minutes. The changing emotions on Nathan's face were clear as day. His son was never good at maintaining a poker face. Seeing the internal struggle that Nathan was facing made his decision a no-brainer.

Nathan whip around to face his father. "You can't do that."

Dan chuckled humorlessly. "I am the Director and in charge of this case, yes I can."

"Dad please," Nathan begged "You know how important this case is to me."

"And that's exactly why I'm removing you from it. It was a stupid idea to assign you to it in the first place. There is a strict rule about allowing agents to take part in cases that they have personal connections to but since you are my son, I voided that rule. Do you remember what I told you?" Dan asked.

Nathan sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "You told me that the second I let my emotions come first I would be off the case."

Dan nodded. "Which is exactly what is going on. First you jeopardize everything by coming to Tree Hill without telling anyone. And to top it all off, I know you told Peyton and Clay that Haley's your wife."

"No, I didn't" Nathan denied, shifting nervously from foot to foot. God, he was so screwed.

Dan shook his head, rolling his eyes in disbelief. "Don't you dare lie to me, boy. I overheard Clay tell Peyton 'it's time to meet Mrs. Scott'."

"I didn't have a choice. I saw Haley kissing some guy and I freaked out. They both saw it and wouldn't stop pestering me until I told them the truth. If I didn't tell them, things were only going to get worse." Nathan explained, his voice still pleading.

"That is just more proof that you can't keep your emotions in check. I specifically told you not to tell that the truth and what happened? You blew it because you couldn't handle seeing Haley kiss another guy." Dan was beginning to raise his voice. "If you couldn't handle that then there is no way you're going to be able to handle anything else."

"I didn't tell them anything else." Nathan declared. "I swear. I only told them that she was my wife, nothing else."

"Doesn't matter. I'm not saying this to be mean, Nathan. I'm saying it because I think this whole case would be better off if you were just a witness instead of an investigator." Dan sighed, stuffing his hands in his suit pockets.

Nathan shook his head and took a few steps toward Dan. "I know I've fucked up a few times. I know I'm supposed to separate my emotions. You would be amazed to know how many times I have been told that over the last twenty four hours. But, I need to remain on this case. I can't just sit back. You know that I can't."

Dan stared hard at Nathan, taking in his pleading eyes and the desperate sound of his voice. He felt his resolve begin to crack. "Nathan, I've already broken so many rules for you."

"I know that and I appreciate that. But, it doesn't matter that Clay and Peyton know the truth. Now that Haley is in custody, there isn't a risk. Just, please." Nathan pleaded.

After a few moments of consideration, Dan conceded. "Fine, I'll let you stay on the case but I swear to God, if you go against what I say one more time, that's it. Got it?"

Nathan nodded. "Yes."

"It's your job to go in there and talk to her about what she has to do now that she's under our care. Are you sure you're going to be able to do that?" Dan asked after a few moments of silence.

Nathan looked back at Haley through the window. She was no longer staring at the table. Her head was in her hands and from the looks of it, she was still crying. A new wave of anxiety came over him. This moment was inevitable. From the moment this case file landed on his desk, he knew that there was going to come a day where he would have to come face to face with his wife again. He just didn't think it was going to be this soon.

"What other choice do I have?" Nathan muttered. "I have to face her sometime."

Dan placed his hand on Nathan's shoulder and gave it a squeeze before walking away. Nathan remained rooted in his spot, his eyes still staring at Haley. Somehow, he couldn't believe that she was really there. Just like the first time he saw her at Levy's, his heart was beating out of his chest and every single hair on his body was standing straight up. He wanted nothing more than to walk in the room and pull her in his arms. It felt like decades since he last did that.

How had his life come to this?

"She's beautiful." Peyton's voice rang out.

Nathan reluctantly tore his eyes away from Haley to look at Peyton who was now standing next to him. "What?"

Peyton pointed her finger towards Haley. "Haley, I said she was beautiful."

Nathan smiled sadly. "Um, yeah she is."

"Are you nervous about going in there and talking to her?" Peyton asked.

"Nervous is an understatement. Try terrified." Nathan admitted lowly.

"You know, you don't have to go talk to her. I could do it. Or Clay." Peyton offered. She could practically feel his fear radiating off of him.

Nathan shook his head. "No, I have to do this. It's part of my job and even though she is my wife, I can't let that fact get in the way of my duties."

"I get it. Just know, Clay and I are here for you. I know I don't know the whole story but I still couldn't imagine going through something like this." Peyton offered.

"Thank-you." Nathan said quietly.

Peyton smiled at him. She turned to leave only to pause a second later. "Nate, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Do you have any idea what this Ian guy wants with Haley?"

Nathan's jaw clenched involuntarily. "He doesn't want Haley."

"What do you mean?" Peyton asked, puzzled. "Her name was on the list."

"He wants to hurt me and he knows the only way he can do that is by hurting Haley."

~x~

After what felt like hours, Haley was finally able to break out of her trance. She was still in shock. She wasn't sure what to think.

 _Ian Banks._

She just kept repeating that name in her head. That was the name of the man that took everything from her. That was the same name that she tried so hard to forget. There were so many emotions running through her body. All of the memories from the worst night of her life were flowing effortlessly through her mind. It was like someone had opened up flood gates and her only choice was to drown. There wasn't a day that went by where she didn't think about that night.

The _absolute_ worst night of her life.

Now that the initial shock had worn off, she could recall some of the things that Clay had told her. Ian was after her? He was responsible for twelve murders? Haley wasn't surprised. He seemed like the type of man that was capable of those things. Clay had also mentioned something to her about being put in protective custody. Someone else was supposed to be coming into to talk to her about what exactly that meant. Her stomach was in knots. Protective custody? What did that even mean?

Could this day get any worse?

She heard the door open and close again. Haley dropped her hands from her face but her head remained down. She figured it was just Clay or Peyton returning to talk to her. Nothing could have prepared her for the voice that broke the silence. Her stomach dropped and much to her dismay, her heart beat accelerated to dangerous levels. _This has to be a dream._

"Hi, Hales."

* * *

I know you all want to kill me right now. You're probably getting so irritated with me and my cliffhangers. I was going to include Nathan and Haley's conversation in this chapter but I changed my mind. I feel like the way I set up this chapter perfectly alludes to what is going to happen in Chapter 6 and the next chapter is my favorite one that I have written so far. I didn't want to mess with the next chapter so I'm leaving things the way that are. I promise that I don't have any huge cliffhangers like this one planned for awhile. In fact, out of the whole story there is only one other major cliffhanger that I can think of.


	6. Chapter 6

I hope you guys don't mind me making Dan a presumably good guy in this story. I feel like every fanfic that I've read has made Dan out to be the antagonist and while I do really enjoy those plot lines and while it definitely makes sense with the nature of his character on the show, I wanted to do something a little different. To the reviewer who asked about Nathan/Dan/Naley's backstory, it's funny that you should bring that up because this chapter features the first flashback of the story. I wanted to create a sufficient amount of mystery before I delved into everyone's past. You will eventually find out the answers to your questions and then some!

All of your reviews have blown me away which is part of the reason I am updating again so soon! It makes me so happy to know that you guys love reading this story as much as I love writing it. I have to say that out of all of the chapters I have written, this is my favorite so far. I don't know what it is about it that I love so much. Personally, I think that this chapter is some of my best work and I hope that you all agree. This chapter is a little longer than the other ones and I was going to cut some of it out but I feel like everything in this chapter is necessary to the plot line.

I apologize for any grammatical errors or spelling errors. I was so pumped to post this that I didn't proofread as thoroughly as I normally do.

* * *

 _When she first woke up, she felt nothing except a raging head ache and her burning eyes. She couldn't remember falling asleep the night before. The last thing she could recall was sinking down to the mattress of her bed and just crying. She could remember crying so hard that her chest hurt and there was an ache in her head but she couldn't stop. At some point, Nathan had crawled into bed with her, pulling her into his arms. Haley had clung on to him tightly, her tears soaking into his shirt clad chest. He didn't seem to mind though. His own sniffles could be heard in the emptiness of their bedroom. At some point she must have passed out from all of the crying._

 _She turned over in her bed, fully expecting Nathan to be lying next to her. Instead she was met by empty sheets and ruffled comforter. Pushing the covers off of her body, she climbed out of bed. Nathan must have gotten up before her and went for a run. That was something he always did when he needed to think or let off some steam. Even though she understood that he needed some kind of reprieve, she wished he was there. There was an aching hole in her chest and she needed to feel his arms around her. At least that brought her some kind of comfort._

 _It was on her way to the bathroom that she noticed the door to their closet wide open. When she peaked inside, she noticed that all of Nathan's clothes were missing. Haley froze, her eyebrows furrowing together. Panic rose at a rapid pace as a bad feeling was starting to roll around inside of her. Forcing herself to move from her rooted spot, she ran to their dresser and threw open Nathan's drawers. When she found them empty, her heart began to race._

 _At a rapid speed, she ran down the stairs to look out the front window. Nathan's car wasn't in the driveway. She could feel her chest start to cave in, another sob threatening to crawl up her throat. She tried her best to tell herself that she was just overreacting. Nathan probably just went to the store or something. But that didn't explain why all of his clothes were missing._

 _She then ran to her purse and dug her cell phone out, dialing Nathan's number._

 _"We're sorry; you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service."_

 _The phone fell out of her hands and she fell to her knees. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Her heart felt like it had been ripped out of her chest for the second time in the last twenty four hours and she couldn't breathe. Nathan wouldn't actually leave her, would he? She scrambled to grab her fallen phone and quickly dialed Brooke's phone number, barely choking out the words once Brooke answered the phone._

 _Haley wasn't sure how long she just sat on the floor of her kitchen, the tears just effortlessly falling down her face. She wasn't sure what to think. She didn't want to believe that Nathan had just left like that but that's the only thing that made sense. Why else would all of his clothes and his car be missing? She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even hear Lucas or Brooke walk in through the front door._

 _"Oh my God, Hales, are you okay?" Brooke's voice echoed off the walls of the empty house as she rushed over to Haley._

 _Haley shook her head as she allowed Brooke to help her off the ground and to one of her kitchen table chairs. "I have no idea where Nathan is. I…I can't, I don't, oh my God, I don't know what to think." She had no coherent thoughts, just panicked and frantic ones. But even in her frazzled thoughts, she didn't miss the look passed between Brooke and Lucas. "What is it?"_

 _Lucas took a step closer to her and grabbed her hand. "Hales…"_

 _She really didn't like the sound of his voice. "Lucas, what?"_

 _She watched as her two friends exchanged another look before Lucas took a deep breath. The look on both of their faces told her that whatever they were about to tell her wasn't good. She felt her stomach clench. She wasn't sure how much more bad news she could take before her broken heart actually killed her._

 _"After you called, I called Lucas to ask him if he knew where Nathan was. He didn't, so he did some calling around and um…" Brooke paused. She could feel her throat closing up and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. She shook her head, signaling Luke that she couldn't tell Haley._

 _Lucas cleared his throat and mentally prepared himself before continuing. "One of the people I called was Deb and she said that she drove Nathan to the airport at about 2 am last night. She said she didn't know where he was going because he wouldn't tell her…but he's gone, Haley. Nathan's gone."_

~x~

"Hi, Hales."

As soon as she heard his voice, her head snapped up. At first, she thought that it was a fragment of her imagination. She had just experienced a lot of emotions and a lot of shock in such a short amount of time, it wouldn't be a surprise if her mind started to play tricks on her. But as soon as she made eye contact with his blue eyes, she knew that it wasn't her imagination. Nathan Scott was actually standing in front of her.

If she thought her heart was pounding hard before, it was absolutely hammering now. All of the blood had drained from her face. She was shaking, shiver after shiver running down her spine. Her breathing was coming out in short pants and she felt light headed. There were so many different feelings that she was experiencing at once that overall she just felt numb. She didn't blink, she just stared.

As much as she hated to admit it, he looked good. All of his boyish features were no longer present. His hair was a little longer than she remembered it. He was also more built than she remembered. The dark blue dress shirt he was wearing only enhanced the color of his eyes. The same pair of eyes that she used to drown in.

She believed that she would never see her husband again, yet here he was.

It was like something snapped inside of her and now all she could feel was anger. It was like a livewire inside of her. Her hands clenched into tight fists and her jaw locked. It's been 2,190 days since she's last seen him. 2,190 days since he abandoned her.

"Don't call me that." She bit out harshly, shocking both Nathan and herself.

Nathan cringed. If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead the second she realized it was him standing in that room. She looked like she was seething, her eyes narrow and her lips pressed together in a tight line. He expected her to be angry. He was surprised that she didn't stand up and slap him the second he walked in. Lord only knows that he would have deserved it.

He took a cautious step forward. "Haley, I know you probably have a lot of questions."

"Actually, no. I only have one- what are you doing here?" She spat out, crossing her arms over her chest. It was then that she noticed the badge that was around his neck, the same badge that both Clay and Peyton were wearing.

"I work for the FBI." He said softly. He saw that she was eyeing his badge so he lifted it up, showing it to her more clearly.

She didn't know what to say to that, so she remained quiet. Her eyes followed him as he took a few more hesitant steps towards her until he reached the table. Pulling out the chair, he took a seat across from her. He looked nervous, scared even. He was right, she did have a lot of questions but none of those seemed to matter at the moment. The only thing that mattered was her anger and her bewilderment. For the second time that day, she felt as if someone had knocked her feet out from underneath her.

"We have a lot to talk about." He muttered softly.

"I don't want to talk to you." She replied coolly.

"Hales-"

"I already told you not to call me that."

Nathan sighed heavily. "I didn't mean that we have to talk about us. I just meant that there is a lot of business regarding why you are here that we have to talk about."

"First of all, there is no 'us'. Secondly, I don't want to talk to you, period." Haley yelled at him, her voice increasing in volume with each word.

"It's part of my job." Nathan replied lamely.

"I don't care. Send in someone else to come talk to me. I don't want to talk to you and I sure as hell don't want to see you." She raged.

"Look, I know I'm not your favorite person. I know that you're angry with me. But the sooner you let me do my job, the sooner I'm out of here." Nathan said, pleading with her.

She remained silent for a few seconds before giving in, "Fine."

"Okay," Nathan began, "I'm sure my partner's informed you about Ian and how you are number one on his victim list. We investigated his home and found hundreds of pictures of you. It is because of that, that we brought you into custody. We need to put you in a protective custody program."

"Pictures of me?" She furrowed her eyebrows together, "What do you mean?"

Nathan took a deep breath before continuing, "I mean, he's been stalking you. There were pictures of you walking to the store, coming out of work…even pictures of you inside your own apartment."

She began to feel sick to her stomach, "In-in my apartment?"

Nathan nodded, "He knows where you are and he'll come after you, that's why you're here. He's a dangerous guy and he won't stop until he gets what he wants. With the protective custody program, you will be required to move into a hotel room…with Peyton, Clay, and I so we can keep you safe until we have Ian in custody."

"I'm not doing that." She said quickly, "Not if you're going to be around."

He should have seen that coming. "Haley, this is about your safety."

"My safety? Since when do you care about my safety?" She knew that she was being unfair, but she didn't care. There was no way in hell she was just going to uproot her life and move into a hotel room, especially if he was going to be around.

"Don't be like this."

"Did you really think that I was going to be okay with that? I get that I have to be put into this program or whatever, but I won't do it if involves seeing your face every day." She gritted out. Her nails were digging into the skin on the palm of her hands from clutching them so tightly but she just ignored the pain.

"For once in your God damn life, will you stop being so stubborn?" Nathan shouted.

Haley stood up, slapping her hands against the wooden table. "Will you stop acting like you know me?"

"I do know you!" He shouted back, following her lead and standing up at well.

"No, Nathan, you don't! You used to know me, there's a difference!"

Nathan opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by the sound of the door swinging open and colliding with the wall. He turned his head to see Clay standing in the door way.

"Just stop, both of you." He shouted. "I know there is history between the two of you but now is not the time to rehash the past. The main focus is Haley's safety. I'm sorry, Haley, but you don't really have a choice in this matter."

"But-"

Clay shook his head. "This is the best option for you. We'll make sure to keep Nathan from you as much as we can, okay?"

Haley just nodded.

"Okay, now that, that is settled. You have all of tomorrow to gather your things." Clay announced.

"I'm assuming that I have to keep this a secret?" Haley asked before Clay had the chance to walk away.

Clay nodded. "The less people who know, the better. There are two people who are waiting for you in the lobby, I've already filled them in on everything. Besides them, that's all that should know. There are a few more stipulations that you have to follow but we'll inform you of those once you get settled in. A police car will be waiting outside of your apartment at five tomorrow evening."

"Okay." Haley mumbled. "What do I do about my job?"

"Leave of absence. We already drafted up the paperwork for you to give to your boss." Clay explained. "Now come one, your friends are waiting for you."

Haley walked out from behind the table and followed Clay out of the room without even glancing in Nathan's direction. As soon as she was lead into the lobby, she rushed over to Brooke and hugged her tightly. She didn't even try to stop the tears from spilling out. It was like everything came crashing down on her at once- being brought into custody, finding out that she apparently had a stalker, see Ian Banks face again…being "reunited" with Nathan. She hated crying. Her dad used to tell her that crying was a sign of weakness and weak was something she hated being.

After a few moments, Brooke pulled out of her embraced and placed her hands on Haley's shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Haley nodded, swiping a few of the tears away from her eyes. She needed her best friend more than ever right now.

Brooke wrapped an arm around her shoulder and held her close. "Lucas is waiting in the car and Agent Sawyer already filled me in on everything along with giving me all your paperwork."

Haley didn't answer as they walked to the car. The tears were still falling effortlessly down her face and if it wasn't for Brooke's arm wrapped so securely around her, she would have collapsed by now. Brooke helped her slide into the front seat of Lucas' car before climbing into the back seat. As soon as she was seated, Luke reached over the center console to pull Haley into a tight hug. That only served to make her cry harder.

Brooke had sat up and head her hand in between the head rest of the seat, rubbing Haley's shoulder in what she hoped was a soothing manner. "Whenever you're ready to talk, we'll be ready to listen."

Haley reached up to grab Brooke's hand that was on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself as much as she good. After Lucas started to drive and after she took a couple more deep breaths, she was able to start talking. "They said they brought me in because a rapist slash murder had my name written down on some kind of hit list. And apparently he has a whole shrine to me in his house."

"What?" Lucas gasped. "Who is this psycho?"

Haley squeezed her eyes shut. Ian's face was permanently etched into her mind. "They showed me a picture of him." She swallowed hard. She could feel a sob creeping up her throat and she tried so hard to choke it down. "It…it was Ian Banks."

Brooke and Lucas exchanged glances, neither one of them needing to ask who she was talking about. The just knew by the look on her face and the sound of her voice. A shudder ran through the both of them.

"Hales, are you sure?" Brooke asked softly. "It's been a long time and-"

Haley nodded her head. "I'm positive. I could never forget his face. I see it in my nightmares almost every night. Not to mention, they legitimately asked me if I knew who 'Ian Banks' was. "

An intense silence came over all of them. Lucas just kept driving, his hands gripping so tightly on to the steering wheel that his knuckles were beginning to turn white. Brooke kept her hand on Haley's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze ever so often. Haley just let the tears keep falling from her eyes. She didn't have the strength to stop them.

How did her life do a complete 180 in such a short amount of time?

"That's not all." Haley barely choked the words out. Out of everything that happened that day, seeing _him_ again had shocked her the most.

"What else happened?" Lucas asked, glancing at Haley before returning his eyes back to the road.

"Nathan's back." She revealed softly.

Lucas remained quiet and continued to drive, his grip on the steering wheel tightened even more. Brooke just looked down and swallowed hard. Haley looked between the both of them and saw the somber looks on their faces. She was waiting for one of them to look shocked or at least express some kind of surprise…but it never happened.

"Why do you both look not surprised?" Haley asked, breaking the silence that had developed between the two of them.

Lucas looked back at Brooke through the rearview mirror to see that she looked as nervous as he felt. Clearing his throat so that she would look at him, he gave her a questioning look which she just waved off. Turning his attention to Haley, he began to speak, "Look, I don't know why Brooke isn't surprised but uh, I knew Nathan was back in town."

Haley's eyes widened. "Did you also know that he was an FBI agent?"

Lucas nodded.

Haley's jaw dropped slightly, her eyebrows raised in shock. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

Lucas sighed. "Honestly, no. You always hate when I bring Nathan up so I figured that you wouldn't care to know."

Haley crossed her arms over her chest and let out a huff of breath. "So what else do you know?"

Lucas took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't really know much. I've talked to Nathan maybe three times over the course of the last six years. He called me about two weeks ago and told me that he was going to be in Tree Hill for a case and that was it."

Haley really couldn't wrap her head around all of this. "When did he even become a FBI agent? Why did he?"

Lucas shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I have asked him questions on the rare occasion that we've talked, but he always dodges them. Look, I know you're probably pissed that I've kept in touch with your husband even though he left and I haven't told you but there honestly really isn't much to tell. The only things that I knew that you didn't was that he was an agent and that he was coming back to Tree Hill. That's it."

Haley shook her head. "I'm not mad. He's your brother, Luke. I'm just a little shocked, that's all." And that was the truth. It seemed that every second that passed, she was finding out new and shocking information. She wasn't sure she could take anymore. Her head was absolutely spinning.

"Did you see Nathan?" Lucas asked.

"Yes. He was one of the agents that came into talk to me." God, she couldn't get the image of him standing in front of her out of her mind.

"What did he say to you?"

"Nothing that wasn't a part of his job." She mumbled. "I don't know what to think. I don't know what to feel. This all seems like one gigantic nightmare."

Lucas didn't know how to respond to that so he looked back to Brooke for help. She had a blank expression on her face, clearly lost in her own thoughts. From where Lucas was sitting, he could see her nervously wringing her hands together and chewing on the inside of her cheeks. "Brooke?" He called out, trying to get her attention.

Brooke didn't look at him. Instead, she reverted her eyes down to her hands. "I knew Nathan was back in Tree Hill, too."

Haley's head snapped in her direction. "You did?"

"How?" Lucas wondered, his eyebrows furrowing for what felt like the hundredth time that day. This was all news to him.

"He was at Tric the other night. I was at the bar and I kind of bumped into him." Brooke admitted. It wasn't until after she was done talking that she lifted her head up to gauge their reactions. Instead of looking angry like she expected them to be, they just looked perplexed.

"Is that why you've been acting so weird since that night?" Haley asked, mentally putting all of the pieces together.

Brooke nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I wasn't sure how to tell your or even if I should have told you. I wasn't sure what his intentions were and I didn't want to raise any hell if there truly wasn't a reason to."

"Did you talk to him?" Lucas interjected.

"Talk, no. Yell, yes."

"Why did you yell at him?" Haley asked.

"Because I thought maybe that he was coming back for you. I asked him what he was doing in Tree Hill and he was really skittish with his answer. He said he was back because of a job interview. Even a blind man could see that he was lying. I guess that makes sense now. He obviously couldn't tell me that he was back because of a case. He also might have asked me to not tell you that I saw him which, I guess, was another reason that I didn't tell you. I'm so sorry, Haley." Brooke rambled, her hands failing every which way.

Haley let out a small giggle. "Brooke, it's okay, I'm not mad."

"Is he going to be one of the agents watching over you?" Lucas inquired.

"Yes." Haley said with a sigh.

"And how do you feel about that?"

"I honestly don't know."

"This whole thing is just so weird." Brooke chimed in. "I have so many questions, I don't even know where to start."

"You and me both." Haley mumbled.

~x~

Haley tried to keep her mind occupied. It was her last shift for a while at Levy's and the place was packed. She had plenty to do with cleaning tables, taking orders, and running orders. Her boss hadn't asked her many questions when she handed over to request for a leave of absence which she was grateful for. A few of her coworkers were a little nosier but Haley tried her best to ignore it. She didn't owe them any answers so they weren't going to get any. Plus, she was blanking on the perfect excuse. Neither Clay nor Peyton had prepared her for that.

Once her shift ended, she had to head back to her apartment and finish packing her things. She didn't really know much of what was going to happen to her. The only thing Clay had told her was that she was going to be staying in a hotel with him, Peyton…and Nathan. Since they were the agents assigned to her case, they were also the agents assigned to keeping her safe. She was absolutely dreading it. There was no telling how long she was going to have to stay there and the last thing she felt like doing was seeing _his_ face every day.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Nathan was back in Tree Hill…as an FBI agent. Ever since he left her, she's had thousands of different scenarios running around in her head about where he was or what he was doing. Solving cases and fighting crime were definitely not featured in any of those scenarios. It now made sense why her lawyer could never find a permanent address to send the divorce papers to. It's because he didn't have one.

She also wasn't quite sure how she felt about him being back in Tree Hill…period. For one, she was angry, furious even. All the anger and resentment she felt towards him abandoning her came rushing back the second she heard his voice. Another part of her was shocked. She had convinced herself that there was no chance she was ever going to see him again. Seeing him was like seeing a ghost. But there was also a part of her that felt some kind of longing. Images of their first date, their first kiss, the first time the made love, their wedding, etc. all flashed through her mind.

Yeah, she really didn't want to have to see his face every day.

"Haley, your regulars are here!" She heard a voice call out and she turned her head towards the entrance. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes when she saw Teddy and Steven walked in. The only good thing about leaving her job for a while was that she didn't have to deal with their sexual advances anymore. Wiping her hands on her apron, she grabbed her cheat sheet pad, and plastered on a smile on her face.

"Teddy, Steven, welcome back!" She said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

Teddy didn't look at her, instead he just stared at his phone screen. Steven, on the other hand, looked directly at her, his eyes narrowed in a menacing glare. Haley took a step back, a shiver running down her spine. She definitely wasn't expecting that.

"So what is this that I hear about you leaving?" Steven asked in a cold voice.

Haley's face contorted in confusion. They had just walked in, how did they already know that today was her last day? "How-how did you-"

"Samantha mentioned something to us as soon as we walked in." He cut her off. "Were you planning on tell us?"

Haley rolled her eyes. Normally, she would have never rolled her eyes at a customer but it was her last day and she just didn't care anymore. Steven was acting like he was entitled to know about her life and she wasn't going to stand for it. "No. Can I get you anything to drink?" She wanted to get off this subject and away from them as soon as possible.

Teddy slammed his phone down causing Haley to jump back. "You weren't going to tell us?"

Haley regained her composure and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're just costumers, I don't have to share any of my personal life with you."

Steven reached over the table to grip Haley's arm roughly, pulling her towards him. "Yeah, but we're your favorites."

She resisted the urge to gag as she yanked her arm out of his tight grasp. "What can I get you to drink?" Haley repeated.

"Did you get a new job? Is there some new restaurant you're going to be working at?" Teddy asked her, completely disregarding her obvious attempts at getting away from them.

Haley narrowed her eyes. "That's none of your business."

"Well, why don't you make it our business?" Steven replied, reaching out to grab her again but this time, Haley dodged his hand.

"I think I'm going to pull the 'right to refuse service' card and ask you both to leave." She demanded while pointing her finger towards the front entrance of the restaurant.

"Aw, sweetie, you don't mean that." Teddy cooed at her, a smirk spreading across his face.

"Oh, I do. You have thirty seconds to get up and leave before I go get my manager to escort you out." She said sternly.

Teddy and Steven both looked at each other and just when Haley thought she was going to have to get her manager, they got up from their chairs. Steven walked past her without a single word or even a glance in her direction. Teddy walked up to her and leaned in so that his mouth was hover right over her ear.

"You're going to regret doing this." He threatened, his warm breath fanning out across her face. He smirked when Haley visibly shuddered in disgust. He walked past her, purposely brushing up against her.

Haley let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. Teddy and Steven were gone but her heart was still rapidly beating in her chest. Them being aggressive with her wasn't anything new. The threat that Teddy left with her, however, was new. His words had sounded so menacing. She could see an evil glare in his eyes and that didn't sit well with Haley.

For the first time, she didn't absolutely dread having to be put into a protective program.

~x~

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Brooke asked Haley for what felt like the millionth time in the past hour.

"Yes, Brooke, I'm going to be okay." Haley responded while zipping up her last suitcase full of clothes.

Brooke let out a loud sigh before plopping down on Haley's bed. "I can't believe that they're basically keeping you hostage in a hotel room. I mean, you're basically going to have no contact to the outside world except for the occasional visits from me or Lucas."

Haley plopped down next to her and laid back, resting her hands on her stomach. "That part is definitely going to suck."

"I hope you don't mind but I asked Lucas to stay here while you're gone. You know how much I hate being alone and this place can get kind of creepy when there is only one person here." Brooke said while laying back to join Haley.

Haley turned her head to give Brooke a pointed look. "Uh huh, I'm sure that's the reason."

"It is!" Brooke persisted. "I know what you're thinking and you're wrong. The whole break up with Julian is still fresh and the last thing I want to do is get wrapped until in another relationship."

"Whatever you say." Haley mumbled.

Brooke rolled her eyes before changing the subject. "You know, you're handling this whole ordeal a lot better than I would be if I was in your position."

Haley sat up a little, propping herself up on her elbows. "Maybe on the outside but not in the inside. This whole thing is actually freaking me out. I mean, it's not every day that a girl gets told she has a stalker by her ex-husband who skipped town six years ago without a rhyme or reason and now has to basically live with him and two other agents."

"Husband." Brooke corrected.

"What?"

"You said ex-husband. Technically, by the state of North Carolina, Nathan is still your husband."

Haley glared at her.

Brooke immediately threw her hands up in defense. "I'm just stating the facts, Hales. By the way, how are you doing with Nathan being around again? You haven't said much about it."

"I don't think it's really sunk in yet." Haley said quietly. "Seeing him yesterday felt like I was looking in time capsule or seeing a ghost. It doesn't feel real and to be honest, I don't plan on sticking around him long enough so that it does feel real. Clay said that he was going to keep us separated and I'm hoping that he keeps his word."

"Haley, you can't just avoid the man forever. He's on this case and you're going to have to talk to him at some point." Brooke reminded her. She shifted on the bed so that she was no laying on her side, facing Haley.

"Whatever conversations we do have will be based on this case and that's it." Haley declared.

"You're not even going to bother asking him why he left or how he became an FBI agent or how the hell he came to be involved with this case in the first place?" Brooke kinked an eyebrow. If she were in Haley's position, those would be the first questions she would be asking.

Haley fell back on the bed and ran her hands over her face. "Ugh, I don't know…maybe. Right now I don't have any interest in talking to him at all. Even though it's been six years, the wounds still feel fresh."

There was a knock on her bedroom door and both Haley and Brooke looked over. Lucas was peeking his head in with a serious expression on his face. "Hales, the cop that is escorting you to the hotel is here."

"I guess that's my cue." Haley muttered before dragging herself off of her bed. Lucas had already began grabbing some of her bags and Haley quickly joined him.

All three of them were silent as the cop that was waiting in Haley's living room led them out a back way of the apartment complex. Once they reached the waiting cop car, Lucas helped load all of Haley's things into the backseat.

"You both can come with us to drop her off, if you would like." The cop stated, sending a look towards Brooke and Lucas.

Lucas and Brooke quickly agreed before all piling into the cop car. It was a short fifteen minute drive to the hotel Haley would now be staying at. Her stomach was in knots and her heart beat only increased with each passing moment. She wasn't sure what to expect. Clay had mentioned that she had some rules to follow and that made her even more nervous But, of course, what had her the most frazzled was being forced to be near Nathan again.

When they pulled up to the back of the hotel, Haley noticed Clay and…Nathan waiting outside for them. Haley immediately felt her body tense. She hated the fact that her heart started to race and she really hated the butterflies that filled her stomach. She tried to ignore those feelings as she climbed out of the car and headed to help Lucas with her bags. It was a difficult task but she managed to fight the urge to look at Nathan.

"We've got this, Haley." Clay said while reaching for Haley's bags.

Haley took a step back and crossed her arms over her chest. "So much for keeping us separated." She spoke in a much icier tone than she intended.

"I meant what I said." Clay said with conviction. "Two agents were required to be here and Peyton was called into the station, that's the only reason he's here."

Haley only nodded in response.

Lucas walked up to Nathan who was standing off to the side, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes clearly focused on Haley. "You know, little brother, when you called me and told me you were coming back to Tree Hill, this wasn't what I expected."

Nathan forced his eyes off of Haley to look at Lucas. There was a small smile on Lucas' face, clearly trying to bring some kind of light to this whole situation. Nathan couldn't help but let a small smile grace his lips. "Trust me, this wasn't how I wanted my return to Tree Hill to go either."

"How are you doing, Nathan?" Lucas asked.

"I could be better." He mumbled. "Seeing Haley again is hard, especially under these circumstances."

The glint that was in Nathan's eyes as Haley's name rolled off of his tongue didn't go unnoticed by Lucas. With a deep sigh, he placed his hand on Nathan's shoulder. "Look, Nate, I know you're not going to tell me why you left but I just want you to know that I'm choosing to believe that you had a good reason."

Nathan smile grew a little wider. "If you believe only one thing that comes out of my mouth, believe this- I only left because I felt that it was the right thing to do."

~x~

"Here's your last bag, Hales." Luke announced as he walked into Haley's new room, Brooke not far behind him.

Haley stopped placing her clothes in respective drawers and turned to face her two friends. "Thank you." She said with a small smile.

Lucas placed the bag down on the bed where all of her other bags were sitting before walking over to Haley and pulling her into a tight embrace. "You can get through this, I believe in you."

Haley could feel the tears start to form in her eyes again but she blinked rapidly in order to keep them at bay. She had been trying to keep up a strong front but now with Lucas' arms around her, it was like all of the emotions she had been trying to hide were surfacing. She was terrified, worried, angry, sad and so many more things. Haley wasn't sure how she was going to make it through this without her two best friends.

Lucas pulled away from their hug but kept Haley at arm's length. "I'll make sure to come visit as much as I can."

"Thank you, Luke." She said tearfully before looking over at Brooke who was also looking a little tearful. "You too, Tigger."

Brooke's face broke out into a smile at the use of her old nickname. She rushed over to Haley and hugged her tightly. "I love you so much, Haley."

"I love you, too."

After their goodbyes were finished, they left Haley to finish unpacking her things. For a few moments, Haley debated on if she should unpack or not. If she did, that would make this whole ordeal seem real but she didn't want to have to live out of bags for who knows how long either. She started with putting her clothes away. She didn't have many so she figured it would be easier to start there. Then she would move on to her toiletries and the few sentimental items that she brought to keep her sane.

It was when she starting hanging up her shirts in her closet when she felt it- a pair of eyes. Without even turning around, she knew who was standing in the doorway to her room. Her body tensed and a shiver ran down her spine. Goosebumps rose high on her skin and her stomach flip flopped. Even after all this time, her body was still so in-tune with him and she hated it.

"Clay is supposed to be keeping you away from me but apparently that was a lie which I guess shouldn't be a surprise since he is connected to you." Haley bit out while putting one of the hangers on the hook. Her back was still facing him.

Nathan sighed, choosing to ignore her comment. "Haley, we have a lot to talk about."

She turned around to face him and felt her heart jump at the sight of him. He was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed off his chest. The white t-shirt he was wearing clung to his body in the most tantalizing ways, making her mouth go dry. Damn him. Damn him for being able to make her feel the way she was feeling. Damn him for looking as good as he did.

She tore her eyes away from him and tried to refocus her brain on the anger she felt towards the man standing in front of her. "I have nothing to say to you." She responded while walking back over to her bags.

Nathan took a step into her room and cringed when he saw her take a step back. "Okay, then just listen. I'm sorry, Haley. I really am."

Haley rolled her eyes while a scoff left her throat. "You're sorry? That's real nice, Nathan."

"Haley…"

She put her hand up to quiet him. "Coming in here and saying sorry isn't going to make up for everything that you've done."

"I know that. But if you would just let me explain-"

"I'm sure that you were able to come up with a pretty good excuse during the time you've been gone and I honestly don't want to hear it." Haley huffed out. She stalked over to one of her bags and began digging until her hands grasped on to the manila folder she was looking for. She held the folder in her hand as she stalked back over to Nathan, practically throwing it at him.

He caught the folder against his chest and furrowed his eyebrows. "What is this?"

"Divorce papers."

His eyes widened at that and he could physically feel his heart break in his chest. "Hales…"

Goosebumps rose high on her skin at the sound of her nickname rolling off his tongue. It was a desperate whisper of a broken heart. She didn't have the heart to reprimand him for calling her that. For a moment, she felt the hard shell around her heart crack, especially with the way his blue eyes were pleading with her. But she had to stand her ground. She couldn't let him win this easily. He was the one that left her not the other way around. He was the one that gave up on their marriage, not her. She cleared her throat before speaking "I've been meaning to send you those for the last three years but my lawyer said you didn't have a stable address."

"Only the last three years?"

"Yeah, well, I spent three years hoping you would come back but as you know, that never happened."

"Haley, please, just let me explain." He pleaded. God, he just needed her to listen to him but by the broken look in her eyes, he knew it was futile. It was like he could see every ounce of pain he's caused her reflecting back in her gaze and it felt like a jab straight in the heart.

"Go, Nathan. The next and only time I talk to you better be to hand me those papers…signed."


	7. Chapter 7

You guys never fail to blow me away. Every single time I get an email for a review, I legitimately squeal. Your predictions...wow. I have to say that some of you guys are right on track with what you're thinking. No one has 100% figured out what has happened yet but a lot of you are really close. There is one thing that people haven't caught on to yet (at least no one has said anything) and I'm kind of surprised. It's something that I thought I made fairly obvious but I guess I didn't, haha.

Secondly, I'm really glad that you guys took to Lucas being supportive of both Nathan and Haley so well. Like I've mentioned before, one of the things I love about the show is the relationship between Lucas and Nathan. I feel like a lot of fanfics that I've read that include a falling out between Naley, Lucas almost always takes Haley's side. Again, while I love those story lines, I wanted to do something different so I decided to make him kind of the middle man. I think you guys will find him to be supportive of both Nathan and Haley but he'll also won't be afraid to call Haley out on her stubbornness or Nathan out on his motives.

Thirdly, for the reviewer who asked about my posting schedule. To be completely honest, I don't really have a set schedule. I'm prewriting this story so while you guys have read up to chapter seven, I'm working on writing chapter nine. My goal is to stay at least two chapters ahead of what I've posted. So basically whenever I finish a chapter, I post a new one. **However, my posting schedule is going to slow down a bit because the semester just started and my academics come first**. Reviews also play a huge role in when I decide to post again. The more people that I know are reading this, the more that I feel the need to post.

Fourthly, after this chapter you'll probably wonder why I chose Ian Banks as the psycho instead of Damien West and honestly, I don't have a reason. When I was writing the story out, Ian immediately came to my mind and he just made sense to me. He was the one who I pictured when I was writing out that character.

And lastly (one of of these days I'll actually have a short author's note but today is not that day), this chapter is a lot of dialogue but it also gives you a little more insight on Nathan and Haley's past. Also, something happens in this chapter that I'm eager to see your reactions to. I'm almost positive that most of you won't agree with what happened while others of you will love it, or maybe I'm wrong. We'll just have to wait and see. It's something that I don't think anyone will have seen coming.

 **Disclaimer** : I apologize for any grammar/spelling errors. Once again I was super excited about post this that I only skimmed over it.

* * *

Nathan wasn't sure how long he had sat on the balcony to their hotel room, just thinking and watching cars zoom by below him. The divorce papers that Haley had given him a few hours ago were sitting on the glass patio table, mocking him. He couldn't bring himself to open them. Seeing her signature on that dotted line that would end their marriage would kill him. _Your marriage ended a long time ago, Nathan. You walked out, remember? This would just make it official._

He didn't want it to be official. Even when he left in the first place, he didn't want things to be over between them. That's never what he wanted. If he could just get her to listen to the reasons that he left, then maybe, just maybe she wouldn't be so hostile towards him. He didn't blame her, though. If he was in her position, he would be acting the exact same way. But that didn't stop it from hurting. That didn't stop the emptiness that he felt inside of him. This was the closest he's been to Haley in the last six years yet he couldn't help but feel like she was the farthest thing away from him.

"Nate, it's almost three in the morning, what are you still doing up?" Clay asked as he walked out on to the balcony. He had gotten up to get a glass of water when he noticed the balcony door wide open.

"I can't sleep." Nathan muttered. He hadn't made any attempts to sleep but he already knew it was going to be impossible, especially with knowing Haley was lying in the room right next to his.

Clay didn't miss the broken tone of Nathan's voice. He sighed loudly before taking a seat in the chair that was across from Nathan. "What's on your mind?"

Nathan remained quiet for a few minutes before finally speaking. "Haley, uh, she handed me divorce papers earlier."

Clay took in the depressed and lost look on Nathan's face. Part of him felt for Nathan. It was clear that Haley still meant a lot to him. But the other part of him was just confused. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way but from what I gather, you did leave her. Are you really that surprised that she filed for a divorce?"

"No, I'm not surprised. But I'm still hurt."

Clay ran his hands over his face before letting out a breath of air. "I know you have your secrets and I respect that, but you gotta help me out here. You've been my partner for four years now and the only things I know about you are that you have a brother, you're from Tree Hill, and that you're married. The messed up part of all of this is that two out of those three things I just found out recently."

"What are you saying, Clay?" Nathan asked in a tired voice.

"I'm saying that I'm confused. I'm saying that I feel like I don't know you at all."

"What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you're willing to tell me."

Nathan didn't even know where to begin. There was so many things he could tell Clay but there were also so many things he couldn't. It wasn't fair to keep Clay in the dark so much. Running a hand through his hair, he decided to tell Clay a little bit of his past. Clay at least deserved that. "I met Haley during my sophomore year of high school. She was Lucas' best friend and at the time, Lucas and I didn't really know each other. We knew we were brothers and that we shared the same father, but that was it. My dad didn't talk about Lucas much. Granted, I didn't talk to my dad that much to begin with. He was never home. He was always out working on some case. I just led myself to believe that he was ashamed of abandoning Lucas so that's why never brought it up."

"He abandoned Lucas?" Clay asked, his forehead wrinkling in confusion.

"Yeah." Nathan answered, "He got Karen, Lucas' mom, pregnant in high school. They weren't together romantically or anything. It was a one night stand kind of thing. He basically freaked out and left because he wasn't ready to be a father. The only good thing he did do was pay child support."

Clay shook his head in disbelief. "I would have never guessed Dan doing something like that. He's cares so much about you and the rest of his family."

Nathan chuckled dryly. "Yeah, he is now. Back then he was just a seventeen year old boy scared out of his mind. He was young and not anywhere near the man he is today. It was when he got my mom pregnant a couple of months later that he realized he needed to step up."

"How did you and Lucas end up getting so close?" Clay asked yet another question.

"Haley." Nathan said with a small smile. "I always wanted to get to know Lucas but I was always too scared to approach him. But then one day, Haley came up to me during our lunch period. She marched over to me so fearlessly and plopped down next to me on the bench. The look on her face just screamed determination but that's not what got me. The second I looked into her eyes, I just knew she was going to change my life. It was like something that you read out of a book or watch in a movie. I don't know how to explain it, I just know something inside of me clicked. I was so captivated by that feeling that I almost didn't hear her tell me that I needed to stop being a coward and make some kind of effort to get to know my brother. Apparently, Lucas was just as scared as I was."

Clay sat there, taking in every word that Nathan spoke. There was a certain glow to him whenever he said Haley's name. It was a look that Clay had never seen on Nathan before and it shook something inside of him. "How did you two end up together?"

A slightly larger smile graced Nathan's lips. "It happened during our junior year. The three of us started hanging out a lot and the more I hung out with her, the more I fell for her. One day, she was helping me with my math homework and I just couldn't take it anymore. She has this habit of biting her lip whenever she's deep in thought and it drove me crazy. She bit her lip a lot that day and I don't know, something just snapped and I kissed her. She was shocked at first, staring at me like had five heads. Then before I knew what was happening, she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me again. We were together ever since then."

Clay couldn't help but smile at the story. "When did you guys get married?"

"The summer after we graduated high school."

Clay's eyes widened. "Wow, you didn't waste any time."

Nathan allowed a small chuckled. "No, we didn't. I know we were young but I didn't care. I had found the woman for me, I didn't need to wait any longer."

"From an outsider's perspective, it seemed like you guys had the perfect relationship." Clay observed.

Nathan sunk further in his chair and ran both of his hands through his hair. "We did."

"Why did you leave?"

Nathan's body tensed. That was the million dollar question. "It's complicated." He answered shortly.

Clay received the message clearly. "Okay, you don't want to talk about it. Moving on…"

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it. It's just, there's only two other person besides me that knows why I left and that's my dad and my mom. Before I tell anyone else my reasons, I want to tell Haley first. She deserves to know before anyone else does." Nathan explained. _That's if she ever wants to listen to you._

"I can respect that." Clay said before changing the subject to something else that was plaguing his mind. "What's the deal with Ian? I overheard what you told Peyton about how he wants to hurt you or something like that."

Just like any other time that Nathan heard Ian's name, his body tensed even more. His hands gripped tightly on to the arm rest of the chair and he could feel the anger start to flow through his veins. He gritted his teeth, his jaw locking. "Like I told Peyton, he wants to hurt me and he knows the only way he can do that is by hurting the one person who means everything to me."

"But why?"

"Because I ended his basketball career."

If Clay thought he was confused before, he wasn't sure what to call the emotion he was feeling now. "Basketball? Nate, you know I love you, but you're really not doing a good job of answering any of my questions. What you are doing a good job of is creating more of them."

Nathan appreciated Clay's attempt at trying to lighten his mood but it wasn't working, not in the slightest. "When I was in high school, I played basketball and I was damn good at it. I was so good that I could have gone pro if I really wanted to."

"Why didn't you?" Clay cut in.

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "A combination of things. Right before my freshmen year of college, I got into a car crash that caused permanent damage to my knee. I could still play normally but it was a running risk. Then things got complicated with my family. My mom checked into rehab for a pill addiction, my uncle died, and some unforeseen events happened with Haley. So I declined my offer to play at Duke University and went to a smaller college in Tree Hill. It was hard as hell to give up basketball but the decision was really a no-brainer. My family came first." He paused for a second before adding in a much softer tone of voice, "My family always comes first."

"Wait, you gave up the opportunity to play basketball at Duke? That's…that's crazy." Clay commented, his eyes wide.

"I did what I had to do. Basketball was always a huge part of my life and I honestly wasn't sure who I was without it but my family helped me through it." Nathan explained almost nonchalantly.

Clay sat back and just stared at Nathan. He was so blown away by just how much he had sacrificed over the years-his wife, his dream and he did all of it without one ounce of selfishness. "That's…wow."

Nathan's lips turned up into the slightest smirk. "My dad wasn't too happy about my decision, at first. He played basketball in high school too and he loved it but unfortunately for him, he wasn't good enough to go pro. So when he figured out that I had the talent that I did, he wanted me to have all the opportunities that he never did. It caused a little bit of a riff in our relationship for a while but he eventually got over it."

"Do you ever miss it? Basketball, I mean."

"Every day."

"Your life is so much more complicated than I thought." Clay muttered dryly. "Not that I don't like hearing about your history but I'm dying to get to the good part. How did you end Ian's basketball career?"

Nathan bit down hard on his jaw involuntarily. He couldn't tell Clay what really happened. Not yet. "It's a long story." He answered quietly. He hoped that the edge in his voice was enough to tell Clay this wasn't a conversation he wanted to be having.

"We've got time." Clay pointed out. He wasn't stupid. He heard the tone of Nathan's voice but he wanted to push for more. This was the first time that Nathan had opened up to him without a fight and Clay wanted to capitalize on that. He let the Haley thing go, but he wasn't gonna let this go unfinished.

Nathan shook his head. "Clay, it's a long story and frankly, it doesn't paint me in the best of lights."

"Nate, you should know me by now. I would never judge you…for anything. Now, Peyton, she's the one you have to worry about." Clay added with a chuckle.

"I know, Clay but…I just don't want to talk about it right now, okay?" Nathan declared a little more forcefully. "It's not about you, I trust you. This is more about me. It's been a long last few days and I'm not up for talking about what happened right now. So just drop it."

Clay threw his hands up in defense. "Consider the topic dropped."

An uneasy silence fell over the both of them. The only sounds that could be heard were the passing of the occasional late night drivers below and the slight whirl of the wind. It was nearing four in the morning now and Nathan still wasn't mentally tired enough to attempt to sleep. His body was screaming at him to relax and to get some rest but his thoughts were still running a mile a minute. He desperately wished there was some way he could shut them off.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Clay lean forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked to be deep in thought. A few more minutes of silence passed before Clay looked over at Nathan. "You know what I don't understand?"

Nathan looked over at him, making a small noise of acknowledgement.

Clay took that as a sign to continue. "Why hasn't Ian made his move on Haley yet? He's known her location for a long time and has many opportunities to strike her. As far as we know, he never kept this close of tabs on any of his other victims. If his goal was to kill or hurt Haley, why hasn't he done it yet?"

Nathan popped up from his chair and walked over to the iron fence surrounding the balcony. He placed his hands against the metal rods and looked straight ahead at nothing in particular. "Haley isn't just 'another one of his victims'."

"That's obvious." Clay snorted. "But why hasn't he made a move? From the looks of those pictures, he's been following her for months, maybe even years. It seems kind of backwards that he's been waiting so long."

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't make sense to me either. The only solid explanation that I can think of is that he enjoys the chase. It's a game for him. It figures he would be sick and twisted like that."

"By why is it just Haley?"

Nathan sighed. "She _is_ number one on his list."

~x~

It's only been roughly nineteen hours since Haley had moved into the hotel and she could already feel herself going stir crazy. She was under strict orders not to leave the hotel room no matter what. Clay and Peyton had made it clear that the only time she would be allowed out into the world is if it were an emergency. And even if she were allowed out, an agent would have to be with her at all times. She, also, wasn't allowed to use her cell phone…for anything. They had taken away her cell phone and given her a new, non-traceable phone with only Clay, Peyton, Brooke, Lucas, and Nathan's phone numbers as contacts. It was only a matter of days before Haley's mom went haywire from not hearing from her daughter.

This whole ordeal was supposed to be for her safety but Haley couldn't help but feel like a prisoner rather than a witness.

The only good thing about the last nineteen hours was Haley's ability to avoid Nathan at all costs. When she woke up that morning, the door to his bedroom was closed and according to Peyton, he had a late night and would probably be sleeping most of the day. He eventually woke up at about noon. She was in the bathroom when she heard him say something about going down to the station to get a look at a new file or something along those lines. It wasn't until she heard the front door open and close that she exited the bathroom.

She was well aware of the fact that she was being pathetic, petty even. Spending the next however long trying to avoid him in a four bedroom, one bathroom sized pent house was going to grow old fast. There were only so many places she could hide out and so many things she could do to avoid him before she was forced to be face to face with him. It was ridiculous, really. She did give him divorce papers, the same divorce papers that he'll eventually have to get back to her.

If she were being honest, the whole reason she was trying to avoid Nathan was because it was the easiest option. Not matter how many times she tried to deny it, seeing Nathan wasn't something she could physically or emotionally handle. She hated the way seeing him made her feel. Nathan being back around was still a hard concept for Haley to wrap her head around and every time she saw him, it was like her heart and her head were pulling her in two completely different directions. The butterflies, the racing heartbeat, the sweaty palms, the raging anger, the tense muscles, and the nostalgia were enough to drive her insane

When he was around, she turned into a completely different person. There was a part of her that wanted to ask him so many questions. She wanted to hear his explanations. If she knew him as well as she thought she did, there was no way that he just left her without having some kind of solid reason. But the second she laid eyes on him, it was like this protective shield formed around her heart. She turned mean, cold hearted…distant. It was like someone else possessed her body, someone who was broken.

Could anyone really blame her, though? Did anyone really expect her to take Nathan back with open arms? The people who did expect that were hopeless. Hopeless romantics that clearly have never had their heart ripped out of their chest like she had.

After spending the last hour flipping through the channels on the TV and getting lost in her thoughts, Haley finally forced herself off of the couch. Heading into the kitchen part of the hotel room, she opened up the fridge in hopes to finding something to eat. Instead, she found the fridge empty except for a case of beer, a case of Pepsi, and a couple of bottles of water. Rolling her eyes, she slammed the fridge door shut. It figures that they would live off of fast food and room service. Turning away from the fridge, she start to rummage through some of the cupboards. There had to be some kind of food somewhere in this place.

She was so occupied with going through the cupboards that she didn't notice the front door opening and closing behind her. Nathan cocked an eyebrow as he watched Haley continuously open and close cupboard doors, grumbling uncoherent words to herself. An amused expression crossed over Nathan's face as he felt a sense of nostalgia sweep over his body. Seeing her like this reminded him so much of the times he would come home to her snooping around their house when it was close to her birthday or Christmas or Valentine's Day. He always hid her gifts in really perfect hiding spots but that didn't stop her from ravaging the entire house in hopes of getting a sneak peek. Haley never was a patient person.

"Can I help you find something?" Nathan interrupted her tirade, a teasing smirk on his face.

Haley froze at the sound of his voice. _So much for avoiding him. That lasted all of five hours._ His voice was playful, teasing, and lighthearted and it caused goosebumps to rise on her skin. She couldn't remember the last time he had spoken to her in such a playful manner. Slowly, she turned around to face him, a sheepish grin on her face. "Uh, I was just looking for something to eat."

He chuckled and a tremor went through Haley's body. His laugh was another thing she couldn't remember the last she had heard.

"We don't usually buy food when we're on a job. It's mostly just room service or fast food. It's hard to tell how long to we're going to be in one place so we don't bother." He explained.

"Uh, yeah…I noticed." Haley mumbled, leaning back against the counter.

A weird silence fell over the both of them. Discreetly, they both gave each other the once over. Nathan's eyes trailed over Haley, taking in every inch of her. She was dressed in a pair of black sweat pants and a neon purple tank top. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun and there wasn't a trace of make up on her face. Even dressed like that, she took his breath away. Nathan was positive that seeing her was always going to have that effect on him, regardless if they were on good terms or not.

The first thing that caught Haley's eye wasn't his dark grey t-shirt or the pair of dark wash jeans that hung lowly on his hips, although those things didn't go unnoticed by her, but rather the manila folder in his right hand, the same manila folder that she handed him the night before. She felt her heart jump in her throat.

Nathan tensed when he realized what Haley was looking at. It was then that dread started to boil up inside of him and he was reminded of why he was taking his sweet ass time heading back to the hotel after spending a couple of hours reviewing files at the station. He took a deep breath, placing both hands on the folder. He gave it one last glance before tossing it on the wrap around counter that separated the both of them.

Haley just stared at the folder, her heart pounding in her chest. Was this really the end of them? Without even realizing what she was doing, Haley walked over to counter and picked up the folder. Opening it, she pulled out the divorce papers and immediately flipped to the last page. Her signature stared back at her but the line above Nathan's typed out name was…blank. Her heart only pounded harder.

Furrowing her eyebrows together, she looked up at Nathan. "It's blank."

Nathan stuffed his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously. "I'm not signing those, Haley. I refuse to."

And just like that the guard around her heart was back up.

He spoke with such confidence and such conviction, almost as if he owned her and he wasn't going to let her go. That caused Haley to snap. Just like the last two times they talked, anger immediately replaced any other feeling she may have been experiencing.

"Nathan," she began, her voice heavy.

"I won't do it." He caught her off.

"Why?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

 _Because I still love you. Because I still want you. Because I still want us._ But he didn't say any of those things. He knew those words wouldn't have made a difference. Instead, he just repeated, "I won't do it."

Haley rolled her eyes before bringing her hands up to rub her fingers in tight circles against her temples. "Stop playing games, Nathan. Just pick up a damn pen and sign your name. It's not that hard."

"It's not that hard?" He asked in disbelief. "By signing that paper, I'm ending everything about us. I'm ending our marriage. Did you really expect me to be able to do that without a second thought?"

"Actually, yes, I did. You left without a second thought. Signing those papers won't end our marriage, our marriage ended when you walked out the door." Haley yelled back at him as she placed her hands against the marble counter.

Nathan sighed, running a hand over his face in defeat. This was looking to be another argument and he was tired of arguing with her. He wanted to sit down and have an actual conversation, a level headed one. "Haley, if you would just listen-"

"Sign the papers, Nathan."

"Why are you so adamant about this?" He asked, harshly. His own anger was starting to slowly simmer in his veins. She could be so damn stubborn and it drove him crazy. When she stayed silent, his anger began to boil. Before he realized what he was saying, the words had left his mouth, "Is this about that guy you've been seeing?"

Haley was shocked to say the least. "Chase? How the fuck do you know about him?"

"I saw you out on a little date the other night." Nathan gritted out. "Seemed pretty cozy to me with the hand holding and the kissing. Is that why you want a divorce so bad? So you can go be with him?"

She narrowed her eyes. "What were you doing? Stalking me?"

"No. It was a part of a stake out which is a part of my job. Clay and Peyton were there too." He spat back at her. "Are you sleeping with him?" He found himself asking before he could stop the words from leaving his mouth. His voice was filled with venom and his stomach twisted as he waited for her answer. God, he didn't want to know. He didn't want to picture another man kissing her, touching her, making her feel the way he used to make her feel. But another part of him needed to know.

Haley's eyes widened at his brazen question. "How dare you ask me that?" Haley bit out. "It's not any of your business."

"It is my damn business!" He yelled back. "We're still married, Haley."

She almost laughed out loud at his words. "It's just a piece of paper, Nathan. A damn piece of paper that you proved didn't mean shit when you left."

"Haley…"

She ignored him, continuing her rant. "And besides, how many girls have you slept with since we've been apart? I'm sure you've had your fair share of one night stands and drunk hook ups."

Now, he was seeing red. It hurt him that she would think so lowly of him but then again, he was accusing her of the same exact thing. His hands were trembling, his heart beating at a high rate. "I haven't slept with anyone since I left. I haven't even kissed another woman."

"I find that very hard to believe." She scoffed.

Nathan stepped around the counter and closer to her, his breathing heavy. "The only woman I have ever wanted," he paused before correcting himself, "The only woman I'll ever want is _you_."

Haley ignored the tightening of her chest at his words. His eyes were so intense, nothing but sincerity mixing in with their cobalt blue color. But she couldn't allow herself to believe it. She fought the shiver that ran down her spine and her throat suddenly felt dry. "I don't believe a word that comes out of your mouth."

The air was absolutely cackling between them and it was starting to drive her crazy.

"You still haven't answered me, you know." Nathan growled, choosing to ignore her dismissal of his words. "Are you sleeping with him?"

The fire in his eyes made it hard for her to look away. He was so close to her now, the smell of his after shave clouding her senses. She could practically feel his body heat brush against her skin that wasn't covered by her tank-top. Once again she found herself torn when it came to her husband. Telling him the truth was going to hurt him. She wasn't naïve to think otherwise. But maybe that's exactly what she wanted- a chance to hurt him like he had hurt her.

"I slept with him, once." She admitted, her voice quiet.

Nathan felt like someone had punched him in the gut at her admission. Images of the man that he knew now as Chase touching Haley, _his wife_ , flooded his mind. He found it hard to breathe and his anger soon melted into a raging jealousy. Before he could think twice about what he was doing, he closed the distance between them and cupped Haley's cheeks between the palms of his hands. He pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, his lips molding perfectly to hers. Something cracked wide open inside of Nathan and this unyielding desire filled him to the brim. He was desperate to erase all of the images of another man on top of his wife, kissing his wife, making love to his wife…hell even holding his wife's hand.

Haley didn't understand anything that was happening. One minute they were arguing and then the next Nathan was kissing her with such a desperate tendency that stole her breath away. Sparks ignited inside of her as soon as his lips brushed against hers, her knees weak and her mind hazy. Deep down she knew that she should have pushed him away and for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why she hadn't. It was clear that the only reason he was kissing her was because of some desire to be the alpha male or something like that. Knowing that some other guy had been with her had set him off. But she couldn't push him away. She couldn't find the strength to.

Just like she couldn't find the strength to ignore the sudden want building up inside of her. All it took was one kiss from Nathan Scott to set her body ablaze.

She felt him pushing her backwards until her lower back collided with the ledge of the counter roughly. In one swift motion, Nathan had picked her up by her waist and hoisted her on to the marble top. She felt his hands on her knees, parting them before he stepped in between them. His hands ghosted across her thighs as hers tangled in his hair. Haley couldn't stop the moans from bubbling up her throat even if she tried. Nathan was one hell of a kisser, that much hadn't changed over the years. Plus, couple that with the feel of his hands teasing the exposed skin on her lower back from her tank top riding up and she was an absolute goner.

Nathan tore his lips from hers before pressing his lips against her jaw and down the column of her throat. Her skin tasted like honey with a hint of salt and it drove him further into a lust filled haze. Her sighs and mewls of pleasure were going straight to his groin. Fuck, he wanted her and he wanted her badly. His desire to be with her again seemed to be growing with every passing second. He wasn't sure how things changed between them so quickly or why she wasn't pushing him away but he wasn't complaining. He had spent countless nights imaging what it be like to kiss Haley again, to hear her moan his name while in the throes of ecstasy, and so many other things in that realm. Albeit, he never imagined it being this rough and this rushed nor had he imagined it happening because of his jealousy over another man but again, he couldn't find the means to care.

Haley was his. No other man was allowed to touch her. No other man was allowed to see her so wanton and free. No one but him.

Call him a caveman. Call him selfish. He simply didn't care.

It wasn't long before most of their clothes were discarded except for Nathan's boxers and Haley's panties. She was still perched on the top of the counter, their chests pressed together and their lips moving together at a frantic pace. The skin on skin contact had them both buzzing with lust. They both knew that this shouldn't have been happening. They weren't back together, hell they weren't even civil with one another. They still had so many problems, so many things to talk about. But once they started, they couldn't stop. Their bodies craved one another in a way that was almost painful. Every touch and every kiss was a lightning bolt of pleasure.

Nathan yanked Haley closer to him so that she was sitting on the very edge of the counter, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist. They both moaned at the feel of their lower halves pressed so tightly together. A shudder ran through Haley's body as she felt his want for her pressing directly against her core. If she wasn't wet before, shit, she was now. Haley pulled away from Nathan's mouth, her breathing hard and her finger nails scratching gently against his scalp. She began to rotate her hips, desperate for some kind of friction to alleviate the pressure she felt between her thighs.

Nathan dropped his head to her shoulder, placing a wet kiss against her skin. He let out a guttural moan at the feel of her rotating her hips against his, the friction making his eyes practically roll to the back of his head. His whole body was shaking with desire, the want of being with her was no longer a want but a need. His grip on her waist tightened, his fingers digging deliciously into her flesh.

"Hales," Nathan hissed out.

"I need you." Haley responded breathlessly, her voice a desperate cry. She couldn't take it anymore. She needed to feel all of him and she needed it now. She didn't want to take the time to think about what any of this meant, she just wanted to feel. "God, please Nathan."

He felt himself throb at her words. Her words were so desperate, her voice dripping with unadulterated lust. He lifted his head to meet her gaze and he almost fell over the edge at the raw desire he found swirling around in her brown eyes. Her heart might not have still wanted him but her body sure did and at this point, he would take any part of her he could get. As quick as he could, he ridded them of the rest of their clothes.

A sharp gasp could be heard from the both of them as he thrusted inside of her. For the second time in such a short amount of time, Nathan felt like he could have lost it all just from being inside of her again. She was so tight, so warm, so wet…so Haley and fuck, did it feel good. Nothing ever felt as good as being with her like this did and by Haley's moans and quivering body, Nathan knew she felt the same way.

"Baby, you're so fucking tight." Nathan growled, his forehead resting against hers.

Haley let out a whimper, her stomach clenching at Nathan referring to her as "baby." Feeling him inside of her and hearing him call her "baby" for the first time in God only knows how long had her head spinning.

He stayed still for a few moments before he began rocking his hips into hers in a frantic manner. Haley clawed at his back, her loud moans mixing in with his loud grunts. It felt like Nathan was touching her everywhere and it still wasn't enough. She needed to feel more of him, her hands dancing across any part of his skin that she could reach. Without warning, Nathan angled his hips slightly, allowing himself to thrust deeper inside of her and Haley threw her head back.

"Oh, fuck," Haley gasped. "Just like that, Nathan."

Nathan trailed his mouth up to the lobe of her ear, biting down on it softly before whispering hotly in her hear, "He never made you feel this good, did he?"

Haley shook her head frantically. "God, no, only you." Which was nothing but the truth. No one could make Haley's skin tingle the way Nathan did. No one knew how and where to touch her like he did. As much as she hated to admit it, no one could bring her as much pleasure as Nathan did.

An impression of pride swept through Nathan as he continued to pound into her. The tingling at the base of his spine was the sure sign that Nathan was close and he wasn't going to let go first, he refused to. Removing a hand from Haley's waist, he slid his hand between their sweat slicked bodies until he found her clit, his fingers dancing over it in slow circles, a drastic change in pace in comparison to his quick thrusts. It was moments later he felt Haley clenching around him, his name falling from her lips in a passionate cry.

The sound of his name in a pleasure-filled mantra coming from Haley paired with the feeling of her tightening around him was what led to Nathan's release. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and revealed in the feel of Haley running her fingers through his hair as they allowed their bodies to come down from their highs. Nathan knew it was only a matter of moments before Haley pushed him away so he forced himself to lift his head up, placing a series of gentle kisses against the sweat slicked skin of her neck.

Nathan pulled away from her body slightly, both of them hissing at the loss of contact. Reaching up, he brush away a few curls that had fallen out of her bun and into her face. He watched as she closed her eyes at the feel of his fingertips brushing against the soft skin of her face. She was so damn beautiful, he could feel his heart ache.

"Haley, look at me." He demanded hoarsely.

Her eyes stayed closed for a few seconds before they slowly fluttered open. He was staring at her so intently that she resisted the urge to shiver. This intensity was different than any of the looks he had given her previously and she couldn't place what was so different about it. She had to fight the desire to close her eyes again when his hand cupped her cheek so delicately, his thumb rubbing across the bone softly.

"I didn't leave you because I didn't love you or because I didn't want you or because I wanted to hurt you. I left because I was trying to keep you safe." Nathan swore, his gaze never once wavering from hers.

There was the first crack in Haley's shield around her heart. It was small, almost microscopic…but it was there.

~x~

Two thirty in the morning.

Another late night for Nathan. They honestly didn't faze him anymore. He was used to staying up all hours of the night, his mind wandering to and from various depths. Tonight, the object of his thoughts was the same as any other night- Haley. However, what was different about this night was that his thoughts revolved around the real life Haley and not a drawn out fantasy Haley.

He felt so stupid for allowing himself to lose control like he did. The first time they made love again wasn't supposed to be on a kitchen counter in the heat of the moment. It was supposed to be romantic. It was supposed to be full of unwavering love and fulfilled promises, not raging jealous and crippling anger. But, Nathan couldn't stop himself. He wanted to claim her as his again, especially after hearing that she slept with _Chase_ , and at the moment, that was the only thing that made sense.

He couldn't bring himself to regret it though. No matter how much of a mistake it probably was, he wouldn't resent it. Being able to taste her against his lips again and being able to feel her skin underneath his fingertips again was magical. It had been so long since he had felt that kind of pleasure, the kind of pleasure that only Haley could induce. Being with her was his own personal heaven and he didn't ever want to leave. But unfortunately, as soon as it started…it was over.

Finally, Nathan was given a chance to somewhat explain his reason for leaving her. As soon as the words left his mouth, he could have sworn he saw a flicker of something in her eyes. For just a small fraction of time, her eyes weren't cold and distant towards him and that meant everything. That meant some kind of hope. But his reprieve didn't last long. Almost immediately, her eyes became steel again and she jumped off the counter, pushing him away gently with her palm against his bare chest. She gathered her clothes and walked away without saying a single word.

That hurt like hell.

It was not like he was expecting their little rendezvous to be their reconciliation but he did expect her to at least say something. Anything. Maybe ask a few questions. But, nope, not a syllable. Any normal guy would have probably given up by now. Any normal guy would have come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to be forgiven and move on. But, Nathan wasn't any normal guy and what he had with Haley wasn't any normal relationship.

He was going to fight until he took his last breath, if that's what it would take.

The sound of his cell phone ringing caused him to jump and he immediately grabbed it off of the bedside table. Mouth's name was flashing across the screen and Nathan quickly answered, figuring that it had to be an emergency. Why else would he calling so late at night?

"Mouth, is everything alright?" Nathan rushed out.

"Yes, no, actually I'm not sure." Mouth responded, his talking fast and excited. "I know it's late but I couldn't wait until a more decent hour to tell you this."

"Okay, what is it?"

"I can't believe I never saw this before." Mouth mumbled, more to himself than to Nathan. "I can't believe that I waited this long to look into those files. I'm so dumb. I should have done this sooner."

Nathan sat up, every hair on his body standing straight up. There was a certain edge to Mouth's voice and it made Nathan nervous. "Just spit it out already, man."

"Okay, so a couple of weeks ago I was digging through some NDDS files for a gang related murder case when I came across a file for a woman by the name of Heather Banks. At first, I thought it might have just been a coincidence because Banks is a pretty common last name and Ian had never been linked to drugs of any kind. But, for the hell of it, I looked through the file and guess what I found?" Mouth rattled off, his voice seeming to increase with excitement after each word.

"What did you find?" Nathan asked, his body tense.

"She's from Tree Hill. I knew that it couldn't be a coincidence anymore. So I requested that the NDDS send me over everything that they had on Heather which they just got back to me yesterday afternoon. I spent all night reading through her files and found that fifteen years ago, she was convicted of aiding in a drug trafficking conversion in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was released from prison two years ago." Mouth continued on.

Nathan was beginning to get impatient as he shifted around on the bed. "Is there a point coming to this?"

"Yes, there is. I promise, I'm getting there." Mouth chuckled nervously. "The FBI started to keep tabs on her once again about a year ago when he finger prints came up during an investigation of a drug tirade in Tree Hill. Recently, they just discovered where she lived. Apparently the deed to the house is in her boyfriend's name, Owen Morello, and he's managed to keep a low profile for the past two years. About a week ago, pictures were taken of Heather outside of this house with Ian alongside of her. But that's not the kicker."

"Then what is?"

"The house they are living in is yours and Haley's old house."


	8. Chapter 8

Hello, again :)

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your incredible reviews. It is because of you guys that I find my motivation to write. I honestly can't believe that I've gotten as many reviews as I have because I didn't really think that anyone read Naley fanfics anymore, or just One Tree Hill fanfics in general. You guys have really blown me away.

Also, I was shocked to see that you all took to Naley having sex last chapter really well. I was kind of nervous to see everyone's reactions to that. I'm not really sure why but I just thought people would think that it was too soon for that to happen or something like that, regardless of the circumstances. And to be completely honest, when I sat down to write that chapter, that wasn't my original plan. My original plan was just for them to argue over the divorce papers, lol. But once I started writing it, I just felt like there was a lot of sexual tension and going in that direction just felt right. So I'm really glad that you all loved my very whim decision. It doesn't drastically change what I originally had planned for this story but it does shift things around a little. Which is totally fine because I don't know a single writer that sticks 100% to their original plan of their story.

This story is over 100 pages on a word document right now and I'm not even close to being done with it yet. I'm pretty proud of myself, not gonna lie.

I have to be honest, this chapter isn't one of my favorites. To me, it's kind of a filler chapter? I guess filler isn't really the right word because everything in this chapter is necessary and vital to the plot it's just not as action filled as the previous ones. Then again, I am my own worst critic so it could just be me over analyzing my work. I'll leave it up to you guys to decide!

 **Disclaimer:** I didn't thoroughly proof read this one either. I know, I need to get back to doing that and I promise that I will. I'm just so anxious to update for you guys, haha.

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"Where's your cast?"

"My what?"

"Don't act stupid. You know, the cast that's supposed to be on your hand since you decided to punch a wall?"

"Oh, I cut it off a few days ago."

"Nathan!"

"Don't start, Peyton."

Peyton rolled her eyes, her hands square on her hips. "Why on Earth did you decide to cut it off?"

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "Because it was getting annoying."

"You broke your hand in two places, the cast is there for a reason. Isn't your hand killing you?" She asked him, an annoyed look on her face. Leave it to him to defy even doctor's orders.

"I have a high pain tolerance and they make pain killers for a reason." He answered in a very nonchalant way. If he were being honest, he barely felt anything when it came it his hand. He had to be careful not to twist it certain ways and he definitely couldn't do any heavy lifting but other than that, it functioned like any normal hand should.

"You're unbelievable." Peyton gasped. "Don't come crying to me when you lose your hand from the bones not healing properly."

Nathan sat up from his previous laying position on his bed and ran a hand over his face in frustration. "Did you come here just to annoy me or do you actually have a viable reason?"

Narrowing her eyes into a spiteful glare, she decided to let his 'annoying' comment go. "Actually, yes. Clay and I were talking this morning and we decided that it would probably be a good idea to call in some of Ian's acquaintances for questioning. We figured that you would want in."

"On any normal day, I would love to join in on something like that but I'm actually investigating my own lead tonight." Nathan informed her.

Peyton kinked an eyebrow. "On the record or off the record?"

"Technically off. My dad knows about it, it's just not documented." Nathan stated, trying to keep his voice level as possible. He, honest to God, hated going behind his partners' backs but he didn't really have a choice, not when it came to this. He already spilled some of his secrets, he couldn't do it again, not if he wanted to remain on this case. He wasn't even positive that going back to his old house was going to give him any answers, anyhow.

"Should Clay and I come with you?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, I should be fine."

Peyton didn't even try to hide the skeptical look on her face. "Are you sure? Going on a job by yourself is risky, you know that."

"Yes, I know and while I appreciate your concern, I'll be fine. I'm not doing anything besides driving by." Nathan easily lied, his eyes never leaving Peyton's.

Peyton remained stationary for a few minutes, her eyes searching Nathan's face for any kind of hint that he was lying. She didn't trust him, well she trusted him, but she didn't trust anything that came out of his mouth. Peyton was well aware of the fact he had secrets and that notion never left her mind. She understood why he had his secrets but that didn't mean she was okay with being in the dark.

When she found nothing but sincerity, Peyton nodded her head before exciting his room. She headed back towards her room when she stopped dead in her tracks, an amused smile grazing her face. Haley had her bedroom door slightly cracked opened, her head peeking out in just the slightest of ways. From where Peyton was standing, it looked like Haley was scanning the hallway, presumably seeing if the coast was clear of Nathan.

"He's in his room." Peyton announced.

Haley jumped at the sound of Peyton's voice. She opened her bedroom door farther and smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't-"

Peyton shook her head, waving her hand dismissively. "There's no need to lie, Haley."

"I'm sorry. It's just…I'm sorry. You probably think I'm some coward, hiding from my 'husband' like this." Haley said softly, crossing her arms over her chest in a timid sort of way.

"Honestly, no. I don't think any of us expected you to accept Nathan with open arms. Hell, I don't even think Nathan expected that. Six years is a long time to be away from someone." Peyton commented with a shrug of her shoulders. "Besides, I'm sure everything that is going on with Ian Banks is a lot to take in, as well."

"No, there is absolutely nothing scary about knowing that there is a lunatic out there that wants me dead." Haley muttered sarcastically.

Peyton sighed, sadly. "Look, I can't pretend that I know what you're going through because I honestly don't have a clue. My job is just to keep people who are in the same situation that you are in safe. However, my team does have a few trained phycologists that you could talk to. I can bring one in, if you'd like."

"No, I'm okay." Haley quickly denied. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to a professional about how she was feeling and what she was going through. She had spent countless hours over the last few years in a therapist's office and in her opinion, it was pointless. Talking to a complete stranger about her feelings didn't alleviate any of the pain she felt. It didn't stop the memories of her past from haunting her. In fact, talking about them only forced her to relive them over and over again.

So, no, she didn't want to talk to a professional.

"Are you sure?" Peyton asked for clarification. "A lot of people find it beneficial."

Haley shook her head. "I'm positive."

"Well, what about your friend? Her name is Brooke, right? Maybe you should call her and have her stop by for a little. She is one of the approved visitors, you know." Peyton suggested.

"Not that I don't appreciate the concern, but is there a reason that you're so persistent about me talking to someone?" Haley asked.

The corners of Peyton's lips turned up in a small smile. "I couldn't help but notice that you haven't left your room in almost two full days, except to go to the bathroom and to sneak food from our carry out orders when you thought no one was watching."

Haley could feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "Oh."

"It's alright." Peyton giggled. "I just figured that maybe you were getting kind of lonely and could use someone to talk to. I would offer up my own time but I'm not the best conversationalist."

"I guess I could give Brooke a call." Haley muttered with a shrug of her shoulders.

Peyton's smile expanded. "I think that's a great idea."

~x~

Forty-eight hours had passed since Haley had last seen Nathan. Forty-eight hours since she had lost her damn mind and gave her body over to him despite all of the reasons she shouldn't have crossed that line. No matter how much she willed herself to stop thinking about what had happened between them, she just couldn't. She could still feel Nathan's lips on hers, the urgent yet gentle feel of them molding against hers. The movement of his rough hands were now ghosted figures in her mind, sending shiver after shiver down her spine.

She hated the fact that he could still have such an effect on her.

It was a moment of weakness. The way he had looked at her, the way he had touched her….she didn't stand a chance. No one ever looked at her the way Nathan did, not even Chase. His motives might have been jealousy but she couldn't mistake the desire in his eyes. His eyes were always like an open book to Haley. They always said the words his lips didn't dare to. He had given her the same look he used to give her back when they made love as a happy and in love married couple. He still wanted her and that shook something deep inside of her.

A part of her relished in the fact that he hadn't been with any other girl since he left. She wasn't sure if she could handle hearing about Nathan with another girl. The thought of another woman touching him and kissing him had her stomach churning. It was hypocritical and selfish for her to feel that way since she did sleep with Chase. But, was she supposed to put her life on hold for him? He was the one that left her high and dry, not the other way around.

For the longest time, Haley believed that he left because he didn't want her. Because he didn't want to deal with the pain of everything that had happened to them. Nathan always did have a bad habit of shutting down when things got too real. Maybe he blamed her for what happened. Maybe he was just waiting for the perfect excuse to leave her. Those were the kinds of things that swirled around inside of her head. What else was she supposed to think after his abrupt departure? But then he whispered those heavy words to her after they had sex on the kitchen counter.

 _"I didn't leave you because I didn't love you or because I didn't want you or because I wanted to hurt you. I left because I was trying to keep you safe."_

What did that even mean? Keep her safe? From what? Ian? How was leaving her supposed to keep her safe?

His reasoning made zero sense and only served to make her angrier, so that's why she bolted. She wanted to believe the words that came out of his mouth but the strong but microscopically cracked wall built up around her heart refused to let her do just that. There was still too much she didn't know and she wasn't about to let Nathan back into her heart just because he whispered a half-assed explanation into her ear when she was clearly vulnerable.

There was a knock her door that caused Haley to sit upright in bed. The door slowly opened and her body tensed when the object of her thoughts emerged from behind it. He had a nervous look on his face and his body language was also very tense. Haley tried to stop her eyes from wandering over his body, but it was no use. He was dressed for a work. A crisp white dress shirt adorned his upper body, the fabric molding to every muscle perfectly. He was still so in shape and it drove her crazy. His shirt was paired with khakis and Haley had to internally chastise herself for wondering if his butt looked good in them.

Nathan sat in her doorway, the nerves eating away inside of him. God, he hated this. He hated having to be on pins and needles around his own wife. He wanted things to go back to normal between them but honestly, he wasn't really sure what normal was for them anymore. He just wanted to be able to walk into a room and not be nervous or scared of what their conversation would entail. He wanted to be able to hold her in his arms, kiss her, sleep next to her…just be a married couple again. But he knew they had a long way to go before they were back to that level again...if they ever got there again.

"Do you need something?" Haley bit out a little more harshly than she intended. She wasn't expecting him to come waltzing into her room like he just did and now she was even more on edge.

Nathan visibly grimaced at her tone. He was hoping that she would be a little warmer towards him after what transpired between them. Hoping, but not expecting. "I was wondering if we could talk."

She sighed heavily. "There's nothing to talk about, Nathan."

"That's a lie and you know it." He retorted.

She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them. "What happened between us in the kitchen was nothing. You staked your claim on me and that was it." God, she really wished that she believed that wholeheartedly.

Nathan stared at her in disbelief. An unsettling feeling started to rise up inside of him. He wasn't expecting her to see their little escapade as some great declaration of love but he also didn't expect her to write it off so easily. "Do you really believe that?"

She just shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't find the words to speak.

Nathan speared a hand through his hair in an agitated manner, a loud sigh falling from his lips. Slowly, he walked towards her bed. When she didn't make an attempt to move away, he continued his journey. Once he reached the foot of her bed, he sat down, his body angled towards her.

"Is a divorce what you really want?" He asked, his voice cracking over the word divorce.

Haley felt her heart shatter in her chest at how broken those words sounded coming out of Nathan's mouth. His blue eyes were pleading with her, begging her to answer no. She opened her mouth only to close it again. Was a divorce what she really wanted? She didn't know. But it was the only thing that made sense to her.

Again, she just shrugged.

Her silence was starting to drive him crazy. Haley normally had so much to say. He would take her yelling and screaming at him over her silence any day. Silence never meanty anything good, not when it came to Haley. Nathan could feel the frustration bubble up inside of him at a rapid pace. When she just continued to stare at him with a blank expression on her face, he lost it.

"God, damn it, Haley!" He shouted in frustration, hopping up from her bed. "Will you please just say something?" He turned to face her, his hands clenched into tight fists.

She jumped at the loud booming sound of his voice. She wasn't expecting him to blow up like that. He looked like he was at his wits end and that only served to increase her own anger. He was getting frustrated with her? He didn't have the right, in her eyes at least. Jumping up from her bed, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What do you want me to say, Nathan? That I miss you? That me allowing you to fuck me the other day meant something? That I still care about you? Because I can promise you that, that's not going to happen." She yelled back at him, her words burning at the back of her throat.

Nathan reached out to her, grabbing her arm and pulling her tight against his chest. He couldn't help but smirk when he heard her breath hitch in her throat. His fingertips danced across the bare skin of her upper arms and then trailing down the rest of their length. His smirk only deepened when she visibly shivered. When she made no move to push him away, he leaned in so that his mouth was hovering right above her ear. "If that's true, then why is your heart beating so fast?" He whispered, hotly.

He wasn't sure what had come over him, all he knew was that he was trying to prove a point. Prove that there was still something there. There had to be.

Goosebumps were more than prevalent on Haley's skin. The skin that Nathan had grazed with his fingertips felt like it was on fire. This couldn't be happening, not again. She tried to find the strength to push him away but she came up empty handed. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she found herself absolutely drowning in his eyes. All of the frustration seemed to melt away and quickly be replaced with an unquenchable thirst. He was so close to her, his cologne invading her senses.

His words only served to make her heart beat even faster. He was playing some kind of game and she was quickly losing.

So weak. She was so weak when it came to him.

His hands landed on her waist, his fingers digging into her flesh. He reeled her in, their bodies smashing together. Nathan was well aware of the fact that he was playing with fire. At any second, she could push him away, smack him and demand that he stay as far away from her as humanly possible. But he was taking his chances. Without a second thought, he closed the distance between them and molded his lips to hers.

The second Nathan's lips were on hers, Haley knew she was a goner. Her eyes fell closed and her arms automatically reached up to wrap around his neck, drawing him closer to her, if that was even possible. This kiss was so much gentler and slower than the one they had shared in the kitchen two days prior. His lips were so soft, so intoxicating. She should have pushed him off, slapped him, and even yelled at him some more but instead, she melted into the kiss, her lips moving passionately against his.

Her knees felt weak and if Nathan's arm wasn't banded around her waist, she was positive she would have been a puddle on the ground. Sparks ignited in her veins and her heart was pounding so hard she was surprised it hadn't stopped all together.

Nathan couldn't get enough of kissing her. This was all he had dreamed about over their time apart. She tasted so good and the pleasure he felt from just kissing her was out of this world. This is how he imagined things happening between them- soft, warm, and full of passion…not rough and urgent.

Air soon became an issue and Nathan reluctantly pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers, his breathing matching the pace of hers. His lips were still tingling, the aftershock still resonating through his body. After catching his breath, he pulled away from her slightly. He glided his hands up her body until he reached her head. He tangled them in her curly auburn hair, forcing her head up to look at him.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that you didn't feel a single thing in that kiss or in what happened the other day. Tell me that you feel absolutely nothing for me and I'll walk away. I won't fight for you and I won't fight for us." Nathan demanded breathless, his eyes never leaving hers.

Haley gulped, her stomach twisting uncomfortably. She bit down so hard on her swollen bottom lip that she was positive she drew blood. "I…" She froze, unable to form the words she wanted to say. Taking a deep breath, she slowly shook her head. "I-I can't."

A giant wave of euphoria came over Nathan. Honestly, he was terrified of her answer. Even though he said he could walk away, there was no way he could. There was still hope for him. There was still a part of her-and he didn't know how big that part of her might be-that still felt something for him. She was going to love him again, that he was determined to make happen.

"Then I'll ask you again, is a divorce what you really want?" He repeated.

She brought her hands up and against his chest, pushing him away from her. She watched as he stumbled backwards, a look of shock and hurt on his face. Tears formed in her eyes and she fought her hardest to keep them at bay. Her attempts were futile as the first of many tears began to cascade down her cheeks. "I thought that's what you wanted!" She found herself yelling at him.

Nathan furrowed his eyebrows together at her words while his heart was aching at the sight of tears shining in her eyes. Seeing her cry felt like a thousand knives puncturing his heart at once, especially when he was the cause of her sadness. It took everything in him to not pull her into his arms. He took a step towards her and flinched when she immediately took a step away from him.

"Why would you think I want a divorce?" He asked, softly.

A look of disbelief crossed over her features. "Because you left, don't you get that? You left _me_ , Nathan. What else was I supposed to think? Clearly, you didn't want to be in this marriage." Her tears were falling at a faster rate now.

"I told you that I left because I was trying to keep you safe. I thought that by leaving, I was doing what was best for you. Ian wouldn't come after you if I wasn't around." He admitted. "It was never because I didn't love you. It was never because I didn't want to be your husband."

"And how well did that plan turn out?" Haley bit back at him.

"Haley," Nathan began desperately, "I didn't know that everything was going to work out this way at the time. I knew that Ian was trying to get revenge and I knew you would be one of his targets. I was just trying to do the best think for you to keep you safe."

Haley only felt her temper flare more at his words. "You just don't get it, do you?" She cried. "As soon as we said 'I do' there was no you and there was no me, there was only us. We were supposed to make decisions together. You should have been honest with me. You should have told me everything that was going on. We should have figured out what to do about Ian together!"

"You have to understand that I couldn't." He pleaded.

"There's a lot of things that I don't understand." She retorted.

"Hales…"

"Why does any of this even matter?" Haley asked, suddenly. She wiped away her tears, trying her hard to catch her breath. "You left and even if I did understand your reasoning, what's the point of us staying married?"

"I still love you, Haley. That's never changed. That's why it matters." Nathan declared without even taking the time to think about it.

Haley felt her heart leap in her chest as those words rolled off his tongue. His eyes held nothing but sincerity, the love he held for her shining back in them. Haley had dreamed about seeing that look in his eyes again, about hearing those words in his voice again. She didn't want to admit it, but that was the second crack in the shield around her heart.

"Sometimes love isn't enough, Nathan." She muttered. "Even if I do forgive you and even if we try and piece ourselves back together, we're so far from what we used to be. It's impossible to go back to the way we once were."

"That may be true but that doesn't mean we can't be something better." Nathan pointed out. "I know what I did was wrong. But at the time, I thought that it was my only option. I really hope you can believe that. I'm sorry for everything, I really am. And I know I can't fix things overnight but I'm going to do everything that I can to prove to you just how sorry I am."

Haley felt as if her chest was caving in. There was so much to take in- Nathan's pleading, his promise to fight for her, his declaration of his love. She felt like her head was spinning. She wanted to believe him and a part of her did believe him, but she still couldn't just forget everything that she didn't know, all the pain she had felt over his absence…it was all too much.

"Go, Nathan." She demanded in a harsh whisper.

"I-"

Haley shook her head. "I'm not shutting you out, I just need some time to think."

Nathan nodded in understanding. Turning on his heel, he headed out of her room only to pause and turn around again. "Haley?"

She looked up at him, her finger wedged in between her teeth.

"Is it impossible for you to love me again?"

"I, uh, I don't know."

~x~

"I slept with Nathan a few days ago."

Brooke had only taken one step into Haley's room when Haley blurted those words out. She froze in her spot, an eyebrow kinked. "Define sleep."

Haley covered her eyes with the palm of her hands, rubbing at them before dropping her hands into her lap. "I guess sleep is a poor choice of a word. Basically, we had sex on the kitchen counter."

Brooke's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "In this hotel room?"

Haley nodded, her teeth sinking nervously into her bottom lip.

"Damn," Brooke exclaimed, walking further into the room. She dropped her jacket and purse down on the chair near the desk before crawling into bed next to Haley. "That didn't take long. How the hell did that end up happening?"

Haley laid back on the bed, her eyes resting on the beige ceiling. "I don't really know. One minute we were arguing and the next thing I knew, I was sitting on the counter without my clothes."

"So, it was like angry sex?" Brooke asked, completely intrigued.

"Yes, I guess you could say that." Haley said, lowly. "I kind of, sort of told him that I slept with Chase once and then he just attacked me."

Brooke sat up, propping herself up on her elbows. Her forehead was wrinkled in confusion. "Wait, you slept with Chase multiple times. You lied to him?"

Haley began to wring her hands together, the gnawing on her lower lip only increasing. "Actually, it was only once." She revealed. "It was only on the night that I first met him. Remember that night when we got in that huge fight, once again, about how I apparently wasn't moving on with my life?"

Brooke nodded. "That was the night you got super drunk at the bar and then left with Chase."

"That was the only night it happened." Haley clarified, again. "And to be honest, I only did it because I was sick and tired of you preaching to me. I wanted to prove that I had moved on. Then, the next morning, I saw how happy you were that I'd finally hooked up with someone so I just let you believe that it happened more than once. I was hoping that it would finally get you off my case."

"Well, shit." Brooke mumbled in disbelief. She was having a hard time taking in everything that Haley had just revealed. But, things started to make a lot more sense- like why Chase never stayed the night at their apartment or why she never stayed the night at his place. She wasn't angry, she was more shocked.

"I'm sorry, Brooke. I shouldn't have lied." Haley apologized bashfully.

Brooke flashed a small smile, reaching over to grab on of Haley's nervous hands. She encased Haley's hand in her own and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I'm not mad, Hales. I shouldn't have made such a big deal about you moving on."

"It's okay. You did it out of love." Haley returned the smile, squeezing Brooke's hand back.

"That I did," Brooke paused, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have feelings at all for Chase?"

"Not really." Haley shrugged. "I mean, he's good looing. He's a gentleman and really fun to hang out with but I would say he was more of a distraction, I guess."

Brooke just nodded in response, releasing Haley's hand. The news of Haley not having feelings for Chase didn't come as a shock to her. Deep down, Brooke always knew that Haley wasn't in deep with Chase. Her smile never really reached her eyes when she talked about him and there was a certain kind of emptiness that resonated off of her whenever he was mentioned. Brooke just chose to ignore those signs, mostly because she just wanted to believe that Haley was okay.

Selfish and kind of insensitive, but the truth.

"So, jealous, angry sex?" Brooke broke the silence, shifting the conversation back to the more pressing issue at the moment.

"Yes." Haley answered, her cheeks feeling hotter by the second.

"And you didn't stop him?"

"No."

"Was it good sex?"

"Brooke…"

"Oh, who am I kidding? It had to have been. All sex with Nathan Scott is good sex, at least, according to what you've told me." Brooke rambled.

Haley's face turned redder, if that was even possible. "Brooke, do you have a point to this?"

"What do you think it means?" Brooke suddenly asked. "I mean, you didn't stop him so that must mean that you wanted him as much as he wanted you."

"Why does it have to mean anything?"

Brooke raised both of her eyebrows, giving Haley a pointed look. "Honey, don't try and fool yourself. You know as well as I do that anything that happens between you and Nathan is hardly meaningless. Plus, when it comes to you, sex is never about just getting off or for fun, there's always a reason."

Haley looked down, suddenly becoming very interested in her nails and their chipped polish. Brooke was right. Brooke was always right. "I just, I don't know." She started. "At first, I thought it was his way of staking his claim over me in that arrogant Nathan Scott kind of way. But, then I saw the way he was looking at me, the way he's always looked at me, and even though his movements were rough, he touched me like I was sacred. Things just got kind of became blurry. Then, he tells me that he left me to keep me safe in such a sincere manner, almost like he was speaking from the Bible. It all became too much to handle so I just left."

"Are you still in love with him?" Brooke asked bluntly.

"Brooke…" Haley warned, she didn't want to have this conversation. Not now, and honestly, probably not ever. She could feel her throat start to close up and her heart start to hammer in her chest.

Brooke sighed, moving over on the bed to drape an arm around Haley's shoulder. She could see the look of turmoil and uncertainty written all over Haley's face. "You don't have to say it. I'm not the one who you need to be honest with. I think the person you need to be honest with is yourself. I know Nathan hurt you and I'm not trying to undermine that, but I think you need to stop hiding your heart. Trying to convince yourself that you need to feel a certain way is only going to cause more harm than good."

Haley brushed Brooke's arm off of her shoulder and hopped up from the bed. "I don't get you. A few weeks ago you were talking to me about how I need to 'move on' and now that Nathan is back around, you're suddenly pro-him." She admonished, her arms crossed on her chest in aggravation. She could feel herself closing up again, that wall around her heart quickly reappearing.

Brooke shook her head. "The only person I'm 'pro' in this situation is you. I just want you to be happy. I just know you, Hales. You're scared and you have every right to be. I'm just trying to help."

"Well, don't."

~x~

Nathan stared at the house in front of him, unable to look away.

His house. His and Haley's old house.

It looked the same, yet incredibly different at the same time. The house was one story with a circle driveway and an attached garage. The light gray brick and the charcoal colored roof top was just as he had remembered it. The front door was still white with a black iron screen door attached to it. The garage door was also white, a row of circle of windows laying across the top. Those were the only things that remained the same.

The grass looked like it hadn't been cut in months, much like the other houses that Mouth had sent him pictures of. The rose bushes that Haley insisted Nathan plant in the front of the house were way past dead. The house itself just seemed very dreary, missing some kind of sense of a happy life. The only remnants of life were the garbage cans sitting on the curb, clearly full of trash and the empty mailbox.

So many memories flooded Nathan's memory as he stared at this house. Some good, _really good_ , and some bad, _really bad_. The nostalgia was consuming him, his heart feeling hollow in his chest. Each memory that passed through his mind felt like another bullet in his heart. But there was just one that seemed to be the strongest out of all of them. One that just kept repeating over and over again in his head, driving him absolutely crazy.

~x~

 _"Nathan, is this really necessary?" Haley giggled, placing her hands on top of his that were covering her eyes._

 _"Yes." He responded with an excited smile. "It's all a part of the surprise."_

 _"You're not going to make me walk into a wall or something are you?" Haley joked, another giggle escaping her lips._

 _Nathan playfully rolled his eyes. "I would never."_

 _"Don't worry, Haley, I'll make sure my son does nothing of the sort." Deb declared with a pointed look towards Nathan to which he just smirked in response to. Deb shook her head as she grabbed Haley's hands, detaching them from her face and helping Nathan guide her along the sidewalk._

 _"I'm starting to get nervous." Haley announced, the smile never leaving her face. She had major butterflies and she just couldn't take the excitement. She loved surprises and Nathan's eagerness to show her this surprise that he had been working on for the last few months only increased her excitement._

 _"You'll love it." Deb promised._

 _"We're almost there, just a few more steps." Nathan announced._

 _Nathan and Deb helped Haley take a few more steps until they stopped directly in front of the house. Deb released Haley's hands and went to stand next to her son. Nathan kept his hands over Haley's eyes while he leaned in so that his lips were hovering over her ear._

 _"You ready, baby?" He whispered._

 _A shiver ran down Haley's spine as Nathan's hot breath fanned across the side of her neck. She nodded her head furiously. "More than ever."_

 _A few seconds later, Nathan's hands left Haley's eyes and she blinked a few times, readjusting to the bright sunlight. The first thing she saw in front of her was a house, a rather beautiful house. The gray brick, the charcoal rooftop, the bright white paneling, the perfectly cut grass…it all took her breath away. This house looked exactly how she pictured her dream house to look like. It was a little on the small side, but it was absolutely perfect. She noticed the For Sale sign in the middle of the lawn, a bright red sold sign plastered across it._

 _Haley immediately looked at Nathan with a confused look on her face. "What is this?"_

 _"It's ours, Hales." He replied with a bright smile._

 _Her eyes widened. She looked over at Deb, who was also smiling, before looking back at Nathan. "Wh-what? How? When? Why?"_

 _Nathan chuckled, reaching to grab both of her hands. He gave them a slight squeeze. "This house is ours." He repeated. "My mom helped me out with getting it. I signed the deed a few a days ago. And as for why, it's because you deserve it. Plus, a married couple living in the dorms throughout their entire college career is a little redneck, don't you think?"_

 _She looked over at Deb, her mouth and eyes still wide open. "Oh my God, you didn't have to do this."_

 _Deb smiled, placing a hand on Haley's shoulder. "Of course I did. You're family, Haley and my son and his wife deserve somewhere great to live. Not to mention, I have more money than I know what to do with."_

 _Haley took one more glance at the house before squealing loudly. She released Nathan's hands before pulling Deb into a tight hug, muttering 'thank you' after 'thank you." She had never felt so grateful for her mother-in-law in her entire life. Deb just laughed, hugging her just as eagerly._

 _Once Haley let Deb go before flinging her arms around Nathan's neck. She brought his lips down to hers in a searing kiss, not even caring that a bunch of cars were passing by or that Deb was standing next to them. A few moments later, she pulled away, smiling big at him. "I can't believe this."_

 _He chuckled, his grip tightening on her waist. "So, I take it that you like it?"_

 _"I absolutely love it, just like I absolutely love you."_

~x~

Nathan felt the tears prick in the back of his eyes at that memory. They were so happy and so in love back then. They had only been married about a year and were almost done with their first year of college. That's when things were so perfect for them. Nathan couldn't remember a time where he was happier in his entire life. God, he'd give anything to go back to that part of his life.

Nathan wasn't sure how he ended up standing in front of his old house. He didn't remember getting out of his car or walking up the driveway. His plan was just to do a drive-by. He wasn't in dressed in the right attire to be doing an investigation. His badge was around his neck and his gun was in the holster on his waist, but that was it. No vest. No protection. Nothing. It wasn't the safest thing in the world to start snooping around a lead without protection but Nathan couldn't stop the gravitation he felt towards this house.

Slowly, he stepped up and on to the porch. Without thinking, he reached for the front door handle and he felt his heartbeat skyrocket when he found the door unlocked. Pushing the door open, he stepped inside and a whole new sense of nostalgia washed over him. The front door led into the living room and it was still painted the olive color that Haley had fallen in love with. The entire room was empty save for a ratted black leather couch in the corner and a green card table set up in the center of the room.

Nathan took a few more steps in the house when a noise got his attention. He looked up just in time to see a baseball rolling across the hard wooden floor, stopping when it came in contact with the wall. Hesitantly, Nathan walked towards the baseball, immediately freezing once he got close enough. The baseball itself wasn't what caught Nathan's attention. It was the letters 'NS' engraved on the leather material in black marker that got his attention.

Nathan's heart was in his throat as he walked over to the baseball and picked it up from the floor. He looked it over, those same letters still staring back at him. The baseball was clearly old. The leather dirty and torn. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. There was no way. But it was. It was his baseball. The same baseball he had given…

Nathan looked up and into the room that the baseball came from. His whole body froze and his heart stopped beating. His knees buckled at what he saw before him, his throat going dry. This had to be a dream. It had to be.

Before he had a chance to say or do anything, a loud gun shot rang out.

And then everything went black.


	9. Chapter 9

Three things: 1) I'm sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter. That was the last major cliff hanger I had planned. I can't promise that is definitely the last cliffhanger because I'm not sure what I'll pull out of thin air while I'm writing out future chapters, haha. I'm a sucker for cliff hangers, if you couldn't tell. Some of the are intentional and some of them are not. The ones that aren't planned, I'm usually writing and then I'll find a perfect place to end the chapter and it ends up being another cliff hanger. Selfishly, I include them in hopes that people will come back and read more. 2) The progression of Haley's feelings being revealed is slow and yes, that is done on purpose. If you think about it, it's only been about a week since they've been reunited again after six years of silence. From a writer's standpoint, I didn't think it would be a good idea to have them solve all their issues right away. That didn't seem very realistic. She's hurt, she's confused (as I'm sure many of you are, as well), and she's guarded. 3) I have been very vague on ages. That part is both intentional and also kind of not intentional. They got married the summer after high school, so they were 18. It was about a year or so later when they got a house, so they were 19 then. How old they are now and how old they were when Nathan left will be revealed soon. I'm kind of keeping that under wraps on purpose.

Speaking of things being cleared up, this chapter contains a couple of flashbacks, which means that this chapter is probably the longest one I have posted thus far. Some of them I included because I know we're all desperate for some happy Naley. Trust me, whenever I read fanfics, I always want to skip passed all the drama and get to the happy parts. Again, may I remind you, I love happy endings.

Last thing, most of you have figured out what one of the biggest reveals of the story is gonna be, however, I'm still going to keep things mysterious around that subject for about one more chapter. My original plan was to have the truth come out about that in chapter ten and I'm sticking to that plan, lol.

P.S. The only reason you're getting this chapter is because I'm super sick and have been laying in bed all day, which has given me the chance to write, lololol. I just finished Chapter 12, it's lit. I just said "lit"...oh God, I really am sick.

Disclaimer: Yes, I didn't really proofread this one either. Sue me. You guy's just make so anxious to update ;)

* * *

It was like a mad house, which was the only word Haley could use to describe her current living situation. There had to be about fifty or so people jam packed in the spacious yet now considerably tiny pent house. FBI agents, detectives, police…they were everywhere and they were all frantically moving around. Some were typing away on laptops, some were on their phones and most of them were huddled in small groups anxiously chatting away to one another.

Haley noticed Clay sitting on one of the couches, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped together in front of him. One of his legs was bouncing up and down frantically but that wasn't what concerned her the most. The somber and scared look on his face caused goosebumps to rise high on her skin. Her eyes then adverted to Peyton, who wasn't standing that far off from Clay. She had her cell phone to her ear, her mouth moving so fast that Haley wasn't sure she could make out the words even if she tried. Her expression mirrored Clay's to a tee.

She glanced around in order to find Nathan but the unsettling feeling simmering inside of her turned to a boil when she came up empty handed.

No one was telling her anything. Hell, everyone seemed to forget that she was there. People zoomed by her without saying a word or without even sparing a glance in her direction. They all seemed to be on high alert, rushing around as if they only had seconds left to get to their destination. The anxiety that was surrounding everyone was palpable.

"Haley James? Is that you?" A sweet voice called out to her and she turned to the right to see Deb Scott standing there with a bewildered expression on her face.

"Mrs. Scott?" Haley asked with just as much shock. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her mother-in-law. Deb was always traveling for her work with a non-profit charity organization and as far as she knew, Deb was away on business when Nathan decided to leave.

Tears welled up in Deb's eyes as she took a step toward Haley, her hands encasing around her daughter-in-law's. "You know, when Dan told me that he had brought you into custody, I wasn't sure that I believed him. But, by God, here you are."

Dan was in on this? Haley always knew that he had some kind of job working for the government and prosecution, but she never knew he was an FBI agent. Just like Deb, Dan was always away on business trips so she never spent much time with them. Sure, they spent respective holidays together and they did attend her and Nathan's wedding but they never spent any concrete time together. Haley could remember how bad she used to feel for Nathan. He never did spend much time with his parents but when they did spend time together, it was easy to see how much they all loved one another.

Out of both of Nathan's parents, however, Deb was the one Haley felt the closest to.

Haley squeezed Deb's hands back, her own tears surfacing in her eyes. "It's so good to see you again, Mrs. Scott."

Deb shook her head. "What is with this 'Mrs. Scott' nonsense? It's Deb to you, sweetheart."

Haley smiled a gentle smile, shrugging her shoulders. "I just thought that with-"

"You're family, Haley and you always will be." Deb was quick to caught Haley off.

"That means everything to me." Haley whispered softly, choking slightly over the tears that were forming quickly in the back of her throat.

Deb pulled Haley into a tight hug, her hands rubbing her back in a soothing manner. "I can't believe that you're actually here." Deb cried into her hair. "I thought for sure that I would never see you again."

Haley pulled away from the hug, her heart clenching at Deb' heart filled words. She opened her mouth to respond when Dan's sudden appearance next to Deb made her lose all train of thought. "Dan? You're uh, you're here too?"

Dan Scott never looked happy. Out of all of the times Haley had seen him, his face was always stone cold and emotionless. It was a stark contrast to his actual personality. That was one of the many things that intimidated her about him. But the expression Dan wore on his face now was something entirely different and even more alarming...it was utter fear.

"I'm the lead director on Ian Banks' case and also the lead director of the Behavior Analysis Unit." Dan revealed.

"Oh, wow." Haley muttered. Things just kept getting freakier and freakier.

He gave her a soft small, the expression never quite meeting his eyes. "I know you must have a lot of questions and I know it's been quite some time since we've last seen each other. As much as I would love to sit down and chat, I have a more pressing issue to deal with."

"And what would that be?"

"Nathan's missing."

~x~

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The constant sound of water hitting the ground eventually lulled Nathan out of his unconscious state. He blinked his eyes rapidly, trying his hardest to make the foggy film over his eyes disappear. Confusion was the first emotion to hit him full force. _Where am I?_ The place he was in was very dimly lit, the only source of light was from a tiny square window located at the top of the wall across from him. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he glanced around. It didn't take long for him to recognize his surroundings. He was in his old house's basement.

Everything slowly started to come back to him. The house. The baseball. The bedroom. The gunshot.

It was then that he became acutely aware of the scratchy rope cutting in his wrists that were tied behind him. That same rope was wrapped around his ankles and the metal legs of the folding chair he was sitting in. The searing pain in his side came next. It started off as a dull, aching pain. But with each passing second, it grew with intensity. The dull pain quickly shifted into a sharp and stinging irritation. Nathan looked down at where the pain was coming from and swallowed hard at the sight of his shirt torn and matted with blood. There was a bandage tightly pressed against the wound, the gauze and tape soiled with blood, as well.

At least whoever shot him was nice enough to bandage him up.

Nathan gritted his teeth together in attempt to stop himself for groaning in pain. He wasn't going to give whoever shot him the satisfaction of knowing that he was hurting. He wasn't going to give them anything. Pain was nothing to him. Pain was a state of mind and as long as he kept his mind off it and as long as he kept the adrenaline flowing through his veins, he would survive this.

The keeping his mind off the pain shouldn't have been that hard of a task since all he could think about what was he saw in that bedroom upstairs. It was all too unbelievable. If someone hadn't of shot him, he probably would have passed out in shock. There was an anxiousness inside of him. An anxiousness to wiggle his way out of these ropes and run back up to that room. He had to see if his eyes had deceived him or if what he saw was reality.

A dim light clicked on above him and Nathan immediately squinted his eyes. The loud sound of heavy boots against the wooden stairs made Nathan tense up. There were two sets of footsteps descending down the stairs and Nathan clenched his fists, his jaw locking. He kept his head down as the steps got closer. A few seconds passed before a pair of feet appeared in front of him. A pair of combat boots and a pair of dark brown Tims.

"Oh, look, he's awake." A low, male voice echoed through empty basement.

"That only took about three hours." Another male voice snorted.

"Well you did shoot him in the stomach instead of his knee or his shoulder, like we originally planned."

"Tomato, Tomtaho"

Their chuckles and snorts filled the room and Nathan swallowed hard. Of course his kidnappers had to be sick minded, getting off on the pain of others. He had come across many of those types of people in his years as an FBI agent. Each and every one of them made his skin crawl and these two freak shows in front of him were no exception. But their behavior did make sense- they were working for Ian Banks after all. And he was the king of sick minded people.

A calloused hand roughly gripped Nathan's jaw, forcing him to look up. Two middle aged men stood before him. One was a blonde. His hair shaggy and falling into his dark brown eyes. He had a permanent smirk plastered on his face, one that was meant for evil. The one who was gripping Nathan's jaw had darker hair, his hair buzzed. Two dark green eyes twinkling with mischief stared back at him. They were both dressed in ragged clothes, paint stains covering various parts of the fabric.

"You're a silent one, aren't ya, Scott?" The dark haired one cooed with one eyebrow raised.

Nathan remained silent. It came to no surprise that they knew exactly who he was.

"I pegged him as someone who would beg, maybe even cry a little, for his freedom." The blonde snickered.

The other man shook his head, releasing the grip he had on Nathan's jaw. "Nah, I thought he would be a feisty one. Ian did say he was always quick on his feet when it came to being a smartass."

Nathan just stared at both of them, his bottom and top set of teeth grinding against each other. Sweat was starting form on the back of his neck and on the top of his forehead- from the pain he was experiencing or from the anger surging through his veins- Nathan wasn't sure.

"How do you think we should get him to talk? Huh, Dominic?" The blonde asked, stepping closer to Nathan. They were both hovering over him but Nathan didn't dare look either of them in the eye.

"I'm not sure, Theo. What do you think are some sore subjects for our little friend here?" The man that Nathan now knew was named Dominic asked, his voice slick with torture. He backed away from Nathan and crossed his arms over his chest before he began to pace the length of the floor.

Theo backed away from Nathan too but instead of pacing the floor, he just kept staring at Nathan. His eyes watched Nathan's facial expression intensely. So far, he was holding up a pretty good poker face. "His dad? The big man in the FBI?"

Dominic shook his head. "Not sore enough."

"His brother?"

Dominic shook his head once again before pausing his pacing, a look of sudden realization appearing on his face. Nathan tensed even further. There was no realization, Dominic knew all along what he wanted to torment Nathan about. All of this was just one sick and twisted game. "What about that pretty little waitress down at Levy's?"

A smirk slowly spread across Theo's face. "Oh, you mean the one with the ass that's out of this world?"

Nathan could feel the anger start to eat away at him. The anger was so intense that it overruled every other thing he was feeling, even the pain in his stomach. He lifted his eyes up to meet Theo and Dominic, his expression hard.

"Yes, her. She sure is a pretty little thing with that tight body and those lips that looked like they were just made to give head." Dominic cooed with a lick of his lips.

Nathan could feel his self-control waning. He wanted to remain unaffected. He refused to give them any kind of satisfaction but the way they were talking about Haley…he wasn't sure if he could handle much more.

"Man, I'd give anything to fuck her." Theo declared, his gaze falling on Nathan. He chuckled when Nathan's jaw visibly clenched.

"I bet she's a freak in bed. She seems like she would be."

"Most definitely." Theo said as he stepped closer to Nathan, crouching down so that he was eye-level with him. "What was her name again?"

Dominic shrugged. "Heather?"

Theo shook his head. "Nah, that doesn't sound right." His eyes never once left Nathan's.

"Holly?"

"That seems a little closer." Theo answered. "What about you, Nate? Have any suggestions?"

Nathan narrowed his eyes, swallowing hard.

Theo just stared at Nathan, the smirk never once leaving his face. After a moment of silence, another faux expression of realization came over him. "Wait a minute, I got it…her name is Haley." A sick smile spread across his face.

Nathan couldn't take it anymore. "You touch my wife and I'll kill you." He gritted out, his voice hard and demanding. He looked up at both of them, the venom clear in his eyes.

"Oh, look he speaks." Theo chuckled, standing back up.

"Wife? Oh, Natey-boy, the last time I checked, her ring finger was bare." Dominic said with a laugh. "Because, you left her…didn't you?"

Nathan ignored their comments. "This is your only warning…you lay even a finger on Haley and I will kill you."

Dominic marched up to Nathan, his expression going from teasing to cold in a matter of seconds. Before Nathan could comprehend what was going on, Dominic had kneed him hard right where he was shot. Nathan cried out in pain, his body beginning to shake with the intensity of the pain. "That's if you even make it out of here alive."

~x~

Haley wasn't sure how she ended up in Nathan's room. Everything after hearing the words "Nathan's missing" was a complete blur to her. Her stomach was in a giant knot of worry and her heart hadn't stopped pounding in her chest. She felt like crying, the tears pooling to the brim in her eyes. She could feel the sob bubbling up her throat but she choked it down.

She wasn't going to cry. There was no reason to cry. Nathan was going to be okay. _He had to be okay._

Through the walls of Nathan's room, she could still hear the anxious chatter of all the agents and detectives that were trying to find any kind of clue that would lead them to Nathan. She tried her hardest to tune them out by getting lost in her surroundings. It amazed her just how much this hotel room reminded her of Nathan- the unmade bed with the bedspread haphazardly tossed to the side, a few articles of his clothing scattered across the floor, and of course, the stack of sports magazines on the bedside table. The room even smelled like him, the rich and intoxicating scent of his cologne hovered in the air.

Her eyes swept across a medium sized hole in the wall and she stepped closer to it, running her fingers across the cracked edges of the dry wall. Haley automatically assumed that the hole came from Nathan. He always did have a short temper and punching walls whenever things got too out of hand was his specialty. His anger issues had definitely improved over the years but Haley was sure he still had his breaking points. She couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was the reason for that particular hole in the wall. She felt sick at the thought.

Moving away from the wall, Haley walked over to Nathan's desk, which was by far the messiest thing out of the entire room. There were heaps of paper covering the desk, manila folder after manila folder stacked on top of one another. Various pictures of houses and buildings she didn't recognize were scattered along the length of the desk. The last thing her eyes landed on was a large white envelope. It was sticking out from underneath all of the other rubble on the desk, the words "look", "need", "you're" written in Nathan's handwriting were the only things visible to her. Furrowing her eyebrows, she carefully grabbed the envelope from underneath the piles of paper.

 _"Look at this when you need a reminder of why you're doing this"_

Haley's fingers danced across Nathan's hand written words, her heart thudding loudly. She should have put the envelope back and walked straight out of his room. Snooping into his personal business was never something she liked to do and she prided herself on that. But, something inside of her was screaming at her to look inside this envelope. Her fingers were burning at the urge and after a few more seconds of internally debating, she flipped the envelope over and opened the flap.

Reaching in, she grabbed the first thing her fingers touched. The texture of the paper felt glossy and smooth, like it was a picture of some sort. She pulled the picture out from the envelope and flipped it over. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw the two smiling faces staring back at her. It was a picture of her and Nathan, a much younger her and Nathan, on their first date. They were standing in front a Ferris wheel, the night sky making the twinkling of the lights on the ride stand out. Nathan's arm was around Haley's waist, holding her tight against him. Haley's head was resting on his chest, a happy smile on her face.

God, she would give anything to go back to that day.

~x~

 _"You know, taking a girl to a carnival on a first date is kind of cliché." Haley teased, her eyes twinkling up at Nathan as they walked hand and hand up to the cluster of rides and carnival games. The music was faint, dancing in the wind, along with the smell of fried food. It was a warm April night and Tree Hill was hosting its 74th annual spring carnival right along the Cape Fear River. Haley went every year, sometimes with Lucas and sometimes with her family, but never with a boy that made her heart race with a single glance in her direction._

 _The corners of Nathan's lips turned up into a slight smile. "I could have taken you out to dinner or to the movies, I'm pretty sure those are even more cliché."_

 _"Touche." Haley said with a shrug of her shoulders. "So, what shall we do first?"_

 _Their walking had slowed and now they were standing just outside of the entrance to the fair. Nathan shrugged his shoulders, his nerves still buzzing slightly. This was the first real date that he had ever been on and not to mention, with the first girl he had ever felt this strongly about. He just wanted this night to be perfect. "Whatever you want to do is fine with me."_

 _"Wow, what a gentleman, leaving it up to lady's choice." Haley giggled. "How about we head over to the games? That way I can school you in that balloon and dart game."_

 _Nathan raised his eyebrows at her in mock disbelief. "School me? Have you forgotten that I play basketball? My aiming skills are out of this world."_

 _Haley rolled her eyes playfully as she began to walk backwards, pulling Nathan along with her. "That may be true but I've been playing this game since I was old enough to hold a dart and I always win."_

 _"Oh, we'll see about that." Nathan said with a smirk as Haley laughed. A smile never left his face as he allowed Haley to lead him to the booth where her favorite carnival game was located. Luckily, there was no line. Nathan made quick work of digging his wallet out, shaking his head when Haley opened her mouth to protest. "I asked you out on this date, it's my treat. You can pay next time."_

 _Haley didn't even try and conceal the blush that colored her cheeks from the wink that he sent her way. Then, with the way that her heart fluttered when he said "next time"…God, she was already in so deep. Shaking her head as an attempt to erase all of those distracting thoughts, she grabbed the darts from the game attendant and got in the perfect position to show Nathan just how good at this game she was._

 _Ten minutes later and Haley was standing in front of the game with her mouth hanging open. "I cannot believe that I just lost."_

 _Nathan laughed loudly, his hand resting on his stomach to keep from doubling over. The shocked expression on Haley's face was priceless. "It looks like I just broke your life long winning streak."_

 _She crossed her arms over her chest and let out a huff of air in annoyance. "Who's to say that I didn't let you win?"_

 _Nathan turned to grab his selected prize from the game attendant before turning to face Haley once again, a smirk marring his features. "Whatever you need to tell yourself, Hales."_

 _She rolled her eyes before glancing down at the prize he had picked. "Cracker Jack? Really? Out of all the things on the prize wall, you picked a box of caramelized popcorn and peanuts?"_

 _Nathan nodded his head. "I love Cracker Jack. Plus, they always come with cool prizes inside." He tore open the box, fishing until he found the red, white, and blue striped packet. Once he grabbed a hold of it, he ripped it open and dumped the contents of it into his hand, revealing a multi colored charm bracelet. "It's for you."_

 _Haley watched as he gently grabbed her arm and tugged it away from her body. His fingers gently brushing against the skin of her wrist as he slipped the bracelet on. Her skin tingled at the contact._

 _"Don't say I never gave you anything." Nathan said with a full-blown smirk on his face, serving to make Haley weak in the knees. Yup, she officially had it bad for Nathan Scott._

 _For the next hour or so, they played a few more carnival games before deciding to get something to eat. Once they go their food, a thing of cheese fries and an elephant ear, they took a seat on bench that was just on the outskirts of the carnival, looking over the river. They ate in silence for a few moments, a silence that was surprisingly not awkward at all. Nathan believed that first dates were supposed to be uncomfortable and full of awkward moments but that wasn't the case with Haley at all. All of his anxiety eventually melted away and he found himself feeling a hundred perfect comfortable around her, something that he hadn't ever felt in his life._

 _"So, the semifinals are Friday," Haley began, breaking the silence. "Are you nervous?"_

 _Nathan shrugged, swallowing down his bite of food before responding. "Yes and no. No because we have a good team this year and we're fully capable of going to the finals. Yes because I'm not sure if we're good enough to beat Pontiac."_

 _"How good is Pontiac?" Haley asked._

 _"They're undefeated. Not to mention, their captain is Ian Banks and he loves to play dirty." Nathan mumbled, the disdain clearly evident in his voice._

 _"Ian Banks? Is he the guy that you and Lucas always talk about?"_

 _Nathan nodded. "Yup, he's also the one that absolutely despises me."_

 _"I never did hear the story about why he doesn't like you." Haley pointed out._

 _"Because I'm a better player than he is." Nathan said with a smirk. "We attended a lot of the same basketball summer camps and it always boiled down to the two of us over who was the best player at camp. Every summer, the coaches would always pick me over Ian and he hated it."_

 _"That seems kind of a dumb reason to hate someone so much." Haley mumbled._

 _Nathan chuckled. "That's because Ian's devotion to basketball is completely unhealthy. Like, imagine my love for basketball on steroids. He eat, sleeps, and breathes basketball._

 _Haley widened her eyes. "It's kind of hard to imagine someone loving that game more than you do."_

 _Nathan gave her a small smile. "See, there's a difference though- I love the game, he's obsessed with it. He lets it control his life. Nothing, and I mean nothing, means more to him than basketball does."_

 _"He sounds like a lunatic."_

 _"Oh he is, trust me." Nathan asserted with a snort. "Speaking of the game, I have a question to ask you." His tone turned serious with a hint of apprehension. What he was about to ask her was something that he had been thinking about for the last week and a half. He just hoped that she wouldn't take it the wrong way or think it was too soon._

 _Haley shifted nervously in her seat. His blue eyes were staring intently at her and he was chewing on his bottom lip, something that he never did. "Okay, what is it?"_

 _He took a deep breath, clasping his hands together on the wooden table. "So, I guess Whitey has this tradition that when we host any of the playoff games that each player has to give their away jersey to someone to wear on the day of the game. It's some school pride-symbolism-metaphor shit. I kind of zoned out when Whitey went off on a tirade about his reasoning for the whole ordeal." That earned a giggle out of Haley and Nathan felt his nerves die down a little bit. "I was wondering if you would wear my jersey?"_

 _Haley's stomach erupted into a fit of butterflies as she felt her cheeks heat up. "Nathan…"_

 _"You can say no, if you want. I know that this is only our first date but we've been friends for a while now and there's no other person that I could imagine giving my jersey to but…" Nathan rambled on and on before trailing off when Haley put her hand on top of his._

 _"I would be honored to wear it." She said sincerely, smiling back at him._

 _"Really?" He asked, immediately perking up. The relief he felt was almost refreshing._

 _She nodded. "Of course."_

 _Nathan let out a breath of air that he wasn't aware he was holding. "Oh, thank God."_

 _Haley giggled. "Did you think I was going to say no?"_

 _"Honestly, I wasn't sure what you were going to say." Nathan admitted._

 _Haley just shook her head, the smile still playing on her lips. It was then that she realized her hand was still laying across Nathan's. She quickly pulled it away, the blush on her cheeks only deepening. Nathan looked at her with an amused expression on his face before standing up and collecting their food scraps. After he was down tossing them into the garbage, he walked over to Haley and extended his hand._

 _"Come on, there's one more thing we need to do before we leave." Nathan announced, squeezing her hand once she grabbed his. He led her across the carnival until he stopped right in front of the Ferris wheel. Looking over at her, he felt his heart constrict at the sight of the lights to the ride dancing across her doe-like brown eyes. She was so beautiful, it made his heart ache._

 _"Do you want go on?"_

 _Adverting her eyes from the ride and back to Nathan, Haley nodded. Once he had paid the ride attendant, Nathan helped Haley climb into one of the cars on the ride before sliding up next to her, draping his arm behind her to rest on the outer parts of the ride. They talked aimlessly as the ride moved along its course. At one point, they reached the top of the Ferris wheel. The view from the top was absolutely incredible. It was like you could see every part of Tree Hill-houses, trees, businesses, traffic lights, and, of course, the River court._

 _Nathan leaned in closer to Haley, his lips hoovering right over the outer shell of her ear. "Do you know what they say about being stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel with a date?"_

 _Haley couldn't stop the shiver from running down her spine as Nathan's hot breath fanned down her neck. She turned her head a little face him, inaudibly gasping at how close his face was to hers. His eyes were a much darker shade of blue now and it caused goosebumps to rise high on her skin. "No, what?" She squeaked out._

 _Nathan leaned in closer to her to the point where his lips were a breath away from hers. He smirked when he clearly heard Haley take a sharp intake of breath. "It's bad luck if you don't kiss them." With that being said, he closed the very small gap and seized Haley's lip in a soft and gentle kiss._

 _A small moan slipped from Haley's lips as she responded to Nathan's actions, one of her hands reaching up to tangle in his hair. This wasn't their first kiss. Nathan had kissed her about a week prior, completely out of the blue while she was helping him with his math homework. But with the feelings that he was evoking inside of her, it might as well have been their first kiss. Her whole body was tingling and the warmth was spreading quickly within in her._

 _When the need to breath arose, Haley pulled away. She was panting slightly, her chest heaving up and down. Nathan's eyes seemed even a shade darker and that caused her to swallow hard. "Did you really hear something like that or was that just a ploy to get me to kiss you?"_

 _"What would you do if was just a ploy?" He whispered back at her, his voice husky with desire._

 _"This." She breathed before capturing his lips again._

~x~

Haley could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks as the memory replayed in her head. That night was the beginning of something so beautiful and the hopeless romantic side of her believed that, that was the night she had fell in love with him. They had been friends for a few months prior to that and every moment she spent with him made her want to spend even more time with him.

No one had ever looked at her the way he did, even on their first date. He looked at her like she put the stars in the sky which was such a heady feeling because she was sure she looked at him the same way. She still saw that look in his eyes whenever he looked at her in present day and she could physically feel her heart ache.

Forcing her eyes off of that picture, she reached into the envelope again. Her fingers connected with something cool and metal-like. Wrapping her fingers around the object, she dragged it out of the envelope and a gasp emitted from her lips when she realized it was his wedding ring. The small gold band seemed heavy in the palm of her hand. A sob tore from her throat as she sunk to the floor. Seeing that ring again hit her hard. Haley had thought for sure he would have gotten rid of it or something along those lines. The last thing she expected was for him to keep it in some memory seal. It reminded her of every promise that he ever made and all the plans they made for each other. It reminded her of how much love they had for one another.

It reminded her of the night that was the start of their supposed forever.

~x~

 _It was Memorial Day. The day that meant summer was just in reach. It also meant that graduation was fast approaching. Although, that wasn't really concerning for either Nathan or Haley. A few months back, Nathan had received a full ride to play basketball at Duke University. After some consideration, Haley decided to join him. Some people called her foolish for following her boyfriend to college, especially when it wasn't certain their relationship was going to last. They had only been together a little over a year and in the big scheme of things, that wasn't much time. But, Haley didn't care._

 _She was in love for the first time and being with Nathan just felt right._

 _They were both sitting on a blanket, which was laid out across a patch of grass next to the River court. Haley was laying in between his propped up legs, her back pressed against his chest. His arms were secured around her waist, his chin resting gently on the top of her head. It was only minutes before the firework display over the Cape Fear River began, arguably Haley's favorite thing about Memorial Day._

 _A surprising breeze of cold air blew past them just as the fireworks began. Haley snuggled more into Nathan's chest, tightening his hoodie that he had given her a few hours ago around her small body. Nathan seemed to get the hint that she was cold and pulled her tighter against his chest, hoping to block out some of the wind._

 _Instead of watching the fireworks, Nathan found himself watching Haley. He was so entranced by her. The way the fireworks reflected in her eyes, the way her facial expressions changed with each different design that illuminated the sky…it was all so mesmerizing. In Nathan's opinion, she was, by far, more enticing to watch than the fireworks._

 _God, he loved this girl. He loved her more than he thought was humanly possible. She completed him. Made him feel as if his only purpose in life was to hold her hand or to make her happy. She made him a better person, made him want to do everything in his power to prove that he was worthy enough to be hers. It's funny how over a year ago, he barely knew her but now, he couldn't imagine his life without her._

 _He was certain that no other girl would ever compare to her and that he didn't want or need any other girl. Haley was the one for him- the love of his life, the girl that he could see himself waking up to every morning for the rest of his life. And that's why he didn't feel an ounce of nervousness or fear as he muttered a very heady phrase into her ear as she was entranced by the firework show before her._

 _"Marry me." He whispered into her ear, his lips brushing against her skin. His voice was thick with emotion._

 _Haley tensed, her eyes widening as the weight of Nathan's words settled in. Slowly, she shifted in his arms to face him. As soon as she saw the look on his face and the love in his eyes, she knew he was serious and that only served to make her heart pound even harder. "Are…are you serious?"_

 _Nathan smiled softly at her, his hands reaching up to brush a blonde curl out of her face before resting the palm of his hand against her cheek. "I could love you forever." He declared. "So, yes, I'm serious."_

 _His words were so heavy, the intense look swirling around in his eyes made her weak in the knees. She could feel the tears of happiness welling up in her eyes but she held them back. "Nathan, we're so young. I mean, we're graduating high school in a few days. Couples don't get married this young. It's not normal." If she were being honest with herself that was the only problem she saw with his proposal. Nathan made her feel things that she thought only existed in movies or in books. He was the one for her, she was certain of that._

 _"So? I'm not normal and what I'm feeling is definitely not normal. And to be honest with you Haley, I don't ever want to be normal, not with you." Nathan replied, his thumb stroking her cheek. "I know we're young but you're the one that I want to be with. When I think of the future, all I can see is you. We're already going to the same college and I know that we're going to be together forever, so then why can't forever start today?"_

 _She loved him. She loved him more than she thought was humanly possible. That was all the convincing that she needed. Placing her hand over his that was resting on her cheek, she nodded her head. "Yes, I'll marry you."_

 _There was no stopping the smile from spreading across his face. "Really?"_

 _She nodded. "Yes. I love you, Nathan, so much. There is no one else on this planet that I could picture myself being with."_

 _He immediately cupped her cheeks, leaning in to kiss her passionately. He had never felt a happiness like this before. His decision to propose to her wasn't planned, at all. He knew one day that he would but something inside of him just clicked. That moment just felt right._

~x~

Haley clenched his ring in her hand, holding her fist against her chest as the tears continued to fall. There life was supposed to be a dream come true, not this nightmare that she was currently living. They were supposed to grow old together with a huge and dysfunctional yet loving and caring family.

Nathan had to be okay. He just had to be. She couldn't lose him, not again.

She finally mustered up enough strength to place his wedding ring back into the envelope before grabbing other item out of it. This time, it was another picture. As soon as she turned the picture over, she wished she hadn't. All of the air felt like it had been sucked out of her lungs and her sobs shook her entire body.

This picture was of a little boy. His blue eyes that matched Nathan's stared back at her. He was smiling so big that Haley could practically feel the happiness emanating from the picture. The little boy was dressed in a pair of jeans with a black baseball tee, the word "Brave" written across his chest. In his small little hand was a blue plastic ball.

Haley had only looked at the picture for a mere five seconds but that was all she could handle. She couldn't take it. It was proving to be too painful. So, she dropped it. She dropped the picture and the envelope to the floor, not really caring where it landed. With a shaky body, she hoisted herself up from the floor and ran back to her own room, completely forgetting about the group of agents that were out in the living room. They were probably too busy with their work to notice her anyhow.

She bolted into her room, making sure to close the door behind her. She fell to her knees on the side of her bed and with frantic movements, pulled her suitcase out from underneath it. After fumbling a few times from her shaky hands, she finally got it unzipped. She felt around until her hand closed around a velvet black box. Pulling it out from underneath some of her clothes, she quickly opened it.

Inside that black velvet box was her own wedding ring.

Her movements slowed as the ring was revealed to her, a fresh batch of tears forming in her eyes. It had been months, maybe even a year, since she had last looked at the beautiful diamond in front of her. Carefully, she removed it from the box, her fingers toying with it. She watched as it sparkled when the sunlight hit it in just the right way. She lifted up her left hand, the hand that her ring wasn't in. Her ring finger suddenly looked way too bare.

Before she had the chance to do anything, her bedroom door swung open to reveal a very frazzled looking Lucas. As soon as she saw him, she dropped the ring, hiding it from him. She didn't know why she felt the need to do that but it just felt wrong for him to catch her looking at something so personal. Quickly, she wiped away her tears but Lucas looked too wound up to have noticed. She was thankful for that. Talking about what she was doing was the last thing on the list of things she wanted to do in that moment.

Lucas looked like he was out of breath, like he had just ran up ten flights of stairs. "Brooke and I came over here as soon as we heard." He huffed out. "And by the look on your face, you haven't heard the new development, have you?"

She furrowed her eyebrows together. Her heart was in her throat. "What new developments?"

"They think they know where Nathan is." He revealed before waving for her to follow him. "Come on!" Just as soon as he had entered the room, he was gone.

Haley quickly picked up her discarded ring before jumping to her feet. She was about to put the ring back in its respective box before she paused. Holding the ring between her teeth, she unhooked her cross necklace before stringing the ring on to the gold chain. Once it was secure, she hooked the necklace back around her neck and headed out to the room full of FBI agents.

 _Please, God, let Nathan be okay._


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews :)

I know that many of you are anxious for me to update as much as I can and as of now, I update about once a week. I just need to remind you all that I am a full time student and I also have a part time job. Those things do come first. I'm not gonna lie, there have been a few times that I did prioritize writing over my academics and it had a very negative impact on my grades. I can't do that again, not when I'm paying thousands of dollars to earn a degree. Writing is just a past time/stress reliever for me, not a priority. I know how frustrating it is when your favorite stories don't update as I am an avid reader of fanfics as well. But, I'm asking you all to just please stay with me. I am trying the hardest that I can. I wish I could devote most of my time to writing but the fact of the matter is that I cannot. I know I could post everything that I already have written but once I post all of that, I'm back to where I started with there being big gaps in-between chapters.

Another reason that this chapter took so much longer than normal is because I ended getting much sicker than the last time I posted. I am finally better but I missed an entire week of class and had a lot of homework to catch up on. Things got really hectic and I hadn't any time to sit down and write.

Yes, last chapter I did borrow quite a few lines from the show. I normally wouldn't include that many direct lines from the show in one chapter but, I thought they were fitting. Plus, even with an AU story, I feel like it's necessary to include some moments or lines that familiar. I know that sometimes including too much from the show can get a little cheesy so I promise that no other chapters will be as overboard as the last one.

This chapter...I'm kind of iffy about. Things didn't real flow the way that I wanted them too and I'm a little worried that things seem a little rushed. This might just be me being over critical of myself but I don't know. You guys tell me.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't know many medical terms and in fact, I don't know much about medical things at all. What I say in this chapter probably isn't true in terms of those things but again, this is fiction so just go with the flow. Also, don't kill me but guess who didn't proofread again? :)

* * *

His body felt cold. Almost freezing. Every bone in his body felt like a heavy weight was tied to it, dragging him down. His rapid and shallow breathing sounded loud in his ears, matching the sound of his rapid heartbeat. There was a thin layer of cold sweat covering his body, dripping down the back of his neck. His eyes kept falling closed only to be forced open again with the little strength he had left. The temptation to drift off was strong but he fought against it. He needed to stay awake.

The pain in his side was nothing but a dull ache now. His shirt, soaked with his blood, was warm against his flesh. He could faintly hear drips of his blood hitting the concrete. _Drip._ _Drip. Drip_. Nathan wasn't sure how long he had been tied up in that basement. It felt like hours, days even, maybe even just long, torturous minutes. Dominic and Theo hadn't returned since their first visit but movement could be heard from the upstairs, signally their presence.

There was a sense of dread bubbling up inside of Nathan- a sense of defeat. That was the part that terrified him the most. He refused to believe that this was the end, not after everything that he had been through over the course of the last six years. But there was a small part of him that knew that if he died, he would die with honor. Everything that he had done that had led up to this moment happened because he was trying to keep the people he loved safe. He could never regret that. Dying in the place of someone he loved seemed like a good way to go. However, thinking like that was dangerous. Thinking like that meant that he was giving up and there was still so much to do, so much to solve.

Giving up wasn't an option.

A pair of child-like blue eyes flashed in his mind. Their piercing color so vibrant and full of life. He saw that as a sign of hope. An image of Haley smiling at him appeared next. She always looked so breathtakingly beautiful, it made his heart ache. Yet another sign. He had so much unfinished business to attend to with his wife and their family. He refused to let this be the end.

Forcing his eyes open once again, he took a staggered breath. The sound of footsteps descending down the stairs echoed through the empty basement and Nathan mentally braced himself. He lifted his head as much as he physically could to meet the cold stares of Dominic and Theo as they stood in front of him. Sick smirks adorned their faces and Nathan resisted the urge to snarl at them.

"What do you want?" Nathan mumbled weakly, his voice hoarse. His throat burned.

Theo was the one to make the first move. He stalked over to Nathan, clasping his hand roughly on his shoulder. "Isn't it obvious, Nate?"

Nathan shook his head wordlessly, swallowing hard. It was then he noticed that he was trembling, his body fighting to sustain itself.

A small chuckle came from Theo as his grip on Nathan's shoulder tightened. He crouched down so that he was eye-level with Nathan, his smirk only deepening. "We want that hot wife of yours."

Nathan's entire body tensed, just as it always did, at the mention of Haley. The sharp pain in his side returned from the straining of his muscles but he ignored it. "That's not going to happen."

Dominic's laugh reverberated through the room. "Oh, yes it is and the best part of it is you are going to be the one to take us to her."

Nathan coughed, his lungs burning. "I...I know what Ian is trying to do." He choked out. "He wants to hurt me like I hurt him and I won't allow it."

"You sound pretty confident for someone who looks like they're going to drop dead any second. You've lost a lot of blood, Nate. You're delusional." Dominic jeered.

"Look, we'll make you a deal. You tell us where Haley is and we'll get you some medical help and then let you go." Theo offered with a shrug of his shoulders.

Nathan gave a weak shake of his head. "Ian will never get Haley."

"What Ian wants, he gets." Theo sneered.

"Do you have a mind of your own or are you always someone else's little puppet?" Nathan taunted, a weak smile on his face.

Dominic gritted his teeth together. "I owe Ian, we both do."

"Don't think that we don't know what _you're_ trying to do. Taunt us, distract us…make us angry. It's not going to work." Theo declared, giving Nathan's shoulder a tight squeeze before releasing his hand.

"You know, you coming here basically already led us straight to Haley. I thought FBI agents were supposed to be smart?" Dominic said with a chuckle. "We already know your little team of FBI agents is hiding her out somewhere. You need to tell us where so all of this can just be over with."

"And if I don't?"

"You'll give us no choice but to kill you."

"Then I guess you're going to have to kill me."

~x~

Lucas had his arm draped around Haley's shoulders, his hand rubbing her skin in what he hoped was a soothing manner. Brooke was seated on the other side of Haley, holding her hand and giving it a squeeze every so often. They were seated on one of the couches in the living room while a group of agents sat around the dining room table that was located diagonally from them. The agents were on a video call with their team's digital coordinator, Mouth, or at least that's what Lucas thought Clay said his name was. Apparently, Mouth was the key to finding Nathan.

Lucas looked over at his best friend and felt his heart break all over again. Her bottom lip was securely placed between her teeth and he could visibly see her whole entire body shaking with fear. There was a look in her eyes that he couldn't place. It was like a mixture of fear, sadness, regret, and love? He wasn't stupid. He knew that Nathan would always have a soft spot in Haley's heart, no matter what happened between them, but that worried him. Not because he didn't think Nathan deserved her or because he was scared Nathan would hurt her again but because he was scared Haley would hurt herself. He knew Haley and he knew that once she had her heart broken, she put up these impossible to break steel walls.

He was afraid that those steel walls would cause her more pain than Nathan ever had.

Above all, Lucas was worried about his brother. He had spent most of the afternoon eavesdropping on conversations between agents and the only thing he gathered was that Nathan went out on some investigation without any back up. For the most part, Nathan had kept Lucas in the dark when it came to his FBI escapades but the one thing he was sure of was that going out on a job without at least one other person was dangerous. Nathan wasn't one to follow the rules but he would never do something that could get himself killed. Or at least, that's what Lucas thought.

"The address is 83341 Parkway. It's a light gray house with a circle driveway." Mouth's voice could be heard throughout the room and Lucas felt Haley tense.

83341 Parkway? Why did that address sound so familiar?

"That's…that's our old house." Haley muttered. Her stomach was in knots and question after question filled her mind. What did she and Nathan's old house have anything do with his disappearance? Was that where he was? What was he doing there?

Clay turned in his chair to look at Haley, his eyebrows furrowed together. A couple of the other agents had turned to look at her, as well. "Are you sure?"

Haley nodded, standing up from the couch. She walked over to the group of agents, her arms crossed over her chest in a timid manner. "I'm positive. That's where Nathan and I lived during our last few years of college."

"I, uh, can confirm that." Mouth came over the speaker again.

"And you sent him to his old house because why?" Peyton piped up.

There was a pause and from where Haley could see, Mouth seemed to be at a loss for words. Her own curiosity started rising and she stepped closer to the table. Every hair on her body was standing straight up and her heart was pounding loudly in her chest. There was something in the way Mouth was nervously fiddling around that told her something big was coming.

"Uh…Mr. Scott?" He finally said.

Every pair of eyes in the room immediately shifted towards Dan. He stood up from his chair, his eyes grazing over every single person before finally landing on Haley. The look in his eyes sent shivers down her spine. He kept his eyes locked on hers as he spoke. "I had Agent McFadden run a special search for Ian Banks and that's where it led us to. Right now, the specifics of it are none of your concern. The only concern right now is finding Agent Scott."

Dan Scott was lying. That's what Haley had gathered from the way he was talking and from the way he was looking at her. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her and she stumbled backwards. Lucas and Brooke rushed to her side, holding her steady but she couldn't do anything but stare at Dan. She could vaguely hear them asking her if she was okay but her throat felt too dry to talk.

What kind of game was Dan playing at?

"So, what do you suggest we do?" Peyton asked with a sharp voice. It was easy to see that she wasn't okay with the secrets Dan seemed to be keeping but she knew better than to test the boss.

"How do we even know that this house is where they're keeping Nathan?" Clay asked.

"We don't but it is a good place to start." Mouth responded. "I was able to run a location search using Nathan's SUV's serial number and it is, in fact, parked across the street from the house. If he isn't there, there might be some clues that will lead you to where he is."

"I agree," Dan announced, "We have an advantage here. Nathan went in un-armed and alone. It's not a secret that Ian and his team have kept as close of an eye on us as we have on them. They probably know that Nathan going there wasn't something we planned so they probably aren't expecting us to come looking for him there, at least not this soon."

"So, we're just going to ransack the place?" Clay asked, his eyebrows raised.

Dan nodded. "Basically. Evans and Sawyer will go inside and secure the premises. The rest of us will surround the house. Two people at every entrance. These guys are dangerous and their fast but there's strength in numbers. Everyone understand?"

There was a chorus of agreements.

"Okay, good. Suit up and we'll meet at the cars in 15."

"I'm coming with." Haley announced and everyone turned to look at her.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Peyton responded, standing up from her chair.

"I agree. Our focus needs to be on finding Nathan. We can't be distracted with keeping you safe, as well." Clay explained with a sympathetic smile.

Haley shook her head. "I don't need someone to keep me safe. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not."

"Hales…" Brooke began, reaching out to grab her hand. "I don't think now is the time to be stubborn."

Haley stole a glance at Brooke before turning her attention back to Clay and Peyton. "Please. There is no way that I'll be able to stay here without going crazy. I promise to stay out of the way. I'll just stay in one of the cars or something. Just please."

Clay and Peyton looked at one another. They knew it was a bad idea. Something terrible was bound to happen with Haley around, especially if Ian Banks was hanging around that house. But her brown eyes were pleading, un-shed tears shining back at them. It was easy to see just how scared Haley was. Peyton felt her hard exterior crack and she gave Clay a look, to which he just nodded.

"Fine. But, Lucas, you're coming with us, too. We need at least one person to keep an eye on you." Peyton muttered. "And you are to stay in the car, got it? Under no circumstances are you allowed to leave, not even if the car miraculously catches on fire."

~x~

The metallic taste of blood was strong in his mouth, his jaw throbbing in pain. Dominic had gotten three good punches in but Nathan still refused to back down. They could beat him all they wanted, make him cry out in pain…they wouldn't break him. His body was feeling weaker and weaker with every passing moment. He couldn't keep his eyes open for longer than a few seconds. He was going in and out of consciousness, Dominic's taunting words sounding quieter and quieter. It would be long before he passed out…from the blood loss or from the pain, he wasn't sure.

"Still aren't budging, huh?" Dominic snorted while shaking his stinging hand. "You're determined, I'll give you that much."

Nathan spit out the blood that had pooled in his mouth, cringing at the taste. He kept his head down, partially because he didn't want to give him the satisfaction and partially because he physically didn't have the strength to lift it up.

"Dom, come on, we gotta go." Theo's voice boomed as he descended down the stairs once again. "Ian wants to talk to us."

"What does he want?" Dominic questioned as he stepped away from Nathan.

Theo shrugged. "Something about Haley, that's all I know. He said it was important."

Nathan felt sick at the mention of Haley's name. The thought of them discussing her in ways that could only be described as vile made his blood boil. It was in that moment that he wished he could regain some of his strength back, break out of the rope that was holding him down and lash out at the two imbeciles standing in front of him.

"But, I haven't gotten him to crack yet." Dominic pouted lamely. "I'm sure if you give me a few more minutes I could get it done."

Theo chuckled, shaking his head. "Just forget it. He's not going to give up his precious Haley."

"Ian's not going to like this."

"He'll be dead within a few hours and that'll be better news to Ian than knowing where Haley is, trust me." Theo declared. "Now, come on. You know how much Ian hates when we're late."

"Just let me get in one more hit." Dominic sneered before walking back over to Nathan. He clenched his hand into a tight fist and wound up his arm before he hit Nathan squarely in the jaw. "Now I'm set."

Nathan didn't ground out any sound of pain until he was sure Dominic and Theo were long gone. He spit out yet another glob of blood before tossing his head back. It was a miracle that he was still conscious. Everything was blurry. Everything hurt but yet he couldn't feel anything at the same time. Inch by inch, his body was going numb. There was a pool of his blood underneath him, soaking into his shoes.

He was shivering, his body trembling from head to toe. His body was going into shock.

 _Drip. Drip. Drip._

~x~

Haley couldn't sit still. She was pressed against the car window, her eyes never once leaving the house in front of her. Clay and Peyton had gone inside only five minutes ago but to Haley it felt like hours. Her heart hadn't stopped pounding. The sick feeling in her stomach never once waivered. She wasn't a religious person but she kept repeating the same prayer over and over again in her head.

 _God, please let Nathan be okay._

If he wasn't-she couldn't even finish that thought.

There were so many emotions running through her. Seeing their old house again was like looking into a time capsule. So many memories came rushing back to her and she fought to keep the tears at bay. She wasn't going to cry, not until there was a reason to.

So instead, she shifted her focus back to her and Nathan's last conversation. Once again, she refused to let Nathan all the way in. He was trying and he was trying hard. He was fighting for her and that was something she had dreamed of him doing for years. But, she let her stubbornness get the best of her. She was stupid to believe that she hadn't felt anything when he kissed her. Of course she did. She felt something every single time he touched her, looked at her, hell, even when he just walked into a room.

That couldn't have been their last conversation…their last kiss. There was so much left for them to do, for her to say. Their story was far from over, that she believed wholeheartedly.

Haley still didn't understand why he left and the pain of him leaving still resonated inside of her, but she was starting to believe that maybe she was better off not knowing. It was clear that this whole thing with Ian was hard core, messy, and extremely dangerous. She hadn't really given him a chance to explain, either. But, being angry was easy. It was easy to pretend that their past didn't exist. Remembering all of the love that she had for him, reliving all of their happy moments, letting him in…that was the hard part. She swore that if he made it out of this okay that she would let him explain. She would break the walls around her heart down and let him in.

"Hales, are you doing okay?" Lucas asked, breaking through her heavy thoughts.

"What do you think?" Haley snapped, refusing to take her eyes off the house.

Lucas sighed loudly before shifting against the leather seat of the SUV they were in. He grabbed Haley's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Haley, look at me."

She shook her head.

"Haley, please." He tried again. When she still refused, he leaned over and gently gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Everything's going to be okay. You have to believe that."

Tears filled her eyes and for the first time since they left the hotel, she allowed them to slip down her cheeks. "You don't know that." She choked out.

Lucas scooted closer to her and pulled her into his chest. One of his hands rubbed soothing circles into her back as she began to sob. "You're right but, I do know Nathan and he doesn't give up easily. You're both similar in that way."

"This is all my fault." Haley sobbed. Her grip tightened around Lucas as her chest heaved up and down.

Lucas furrowed his eyebrows together. "What? Why would you say that?"

"I shut him out. There was so much that he wanted to tell me but I just wouldn't listen. Maybe if I would've listen-"

"No." Lucas was quick to cut her off. He held her up, placing his hands on her shoulders so that she was looking right at him. "Nathan has been working on this side project or whatever for years. Nothing that you would have said or done would have changed his mind from following this lead. He's one determined son of a bitch."

"I just want him to be okay."

"Me too."

~x~

"Clay, there's blood." Peyton whispered, pointing to a couple of droplets of blood on the floor followed by smeared lines leading towards a set of stairs.

Clay looked down at the blood on the floor and an uneasy feeling twisted inside of his stomach. There wasn't much but it was also enough to signal that someone was injured. He took another step towards the pattern but froze when a rubber baseball caught his eye. There was a few drops of blood that stained the white object but the large "NS" is sharpie was what mattered to him. He took a few slow steps closer to the ball. He peaked his head around the corner, his gun extended in front of him. When he saw that the coast was clear, he nodded for Peyton follow him and he continued on. He stopped when he reached the baseball and looked into the room it was located in front of.

The walls were painted a light blue with bright white trim. In the center of the room was a twin sized bed that was un-made. The comforter looked to be royal blue with green and white vertical stripes on it. Clay took a few steps farther into the room and that's when he noticed the desk against the farthest wall. There was a box of open crayons, along with a few discarded crayons. White pieces of paper with random, child-like drawings littered the desk. Taking a look around, Clay noticed a bunch of toys scattered across the dark gray carpet and the closet was full of boy clothing, fit for a boy about seven or eight years old.

"Is…is this a little boy's room?" Peyton asked with a gasp. She, too, was sweeping the room with her eyes.

Clay turned to face her. "I think so."

Peyton began to walk around the room. The boy who was once in this room must have left in a hurry. The current picture he was working on was unfinished. A red line was dragged across the paper, almost as if the boy was physically dragged from his seat and away from his work. The red crayon was discarded on the floor next to the desk. Moving on, she looked over at the night stand. There was about three picture frames on the table, all of them turned down. Walking over to the pictures, she picked the first one up and almost dropped it once she flipped it over.

"Holy shit." She gasped, her eyes widening. She blinked hard before reopening her eyes but the picture still remained the same.

Clay was quick to rush over to her, his heart pounding. "What is it?"

With shaky hands, she showed the picture to Clay. "It's Nathan and Haley…on their wedding day."

Clay looked at the picture and felt his knees begin to buckle. The couple in the picture was definitely Nathan and Haley, a much younger version of them. Nathan was dressed in a black tux and a white tie. A white rose surrounded by smaller purple flowers was pinned on to the left side of his suit coat. Haley's hair was blonde, definitely a stark contrast from the red tone her hair was now. Her hair fell in tight curls over her shoulders, a white veil weaved through the tresses. The dress she was wearing was bright white, thin straps coming over her shoulders to hold up the sweetheart neckline. Haley's hand was on Nathan's chest, Nathan's arm secure around her waist. They were looking into each other's eyes, the love clearly evident in them.

"What the hell is this picture doing here?" Clay muttered once he had found his voice. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder.

Peyton shrugged her shoulders. "I have absolutely no idea." She placed the picture back in its spot before moving to the next one. Her hand hesitated over the mounting board before finally grabbing on to it. She looked at Clay before slowly turning that picture over.

"That's Brooke and Lucas with Nathan and Haley." Clay blurted out as soon as the picture came to view.

Sure enough, the picture of a group shot of the four of them. It was perfect candid on day that looked to have been their graduation day. Each one of them were dressed in royal blue gowns, sans the graduation caps. Behind them was a large sign that read "Tree Hill High School" in large block letters. Underneath those words were another set of words: "Congrats Grads!" in smaller block letters. Haley had her arms around Nathan's neck, her head tossed back with a smile on her face. Nathan had his arms around her waist, holding her up as he was dipping her slightly. He was laughing, his eyes crinkling as he looked down at Haley. Brooke and Lucas were both looking at the couple, laughing as well. Lucas had his arm tossed over Brooke's shoulder while Brooke had her hand on his chest.

"They all look so happy." Peyton concluded in a soft voice. "So young and care free."

"Life was probably easier for them back then." Clay sighed.

Peyton nodded in agreement before placing that picture back in its spot. She moved on to the last one, this time not hesitating at all to pick this one up. This picture was much different than the two previous ones. It was of a little boy. He looked to be about one or so years old. He was sitting in the grass, smiling brightly at the camera. A pair of jeans and a black baseball T-shirt with "Brave" in red lettering adorned his tiny body. His small hand was a holding a blue plastic ball.

"I've seen this picture before." Clay said, his eye brows furrowing even further.

"What?" Peyton asked, tearing her eyes away from the picture to look at Clay.

He nodded. "Nathan has the same one. Back when we were first assigned this case and he first started acting all weird, I went through his things."

Peyton raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, don't give me that look. His weird behavior was driving me batty. He wouldn't answer any of my questions so I just went for it. I didn't find anything except for that same picture tucked away in between some pointless papers." Clay explained. "I didn't really think anything of it."

"Who do you think it is?" Peyton asked. Her eyes raked over that same picture countless times. The little boy had Nathan's eyes, that was the first thing she noticed. The striking blue color was hard to miss. His nose resembled Haley's in the slightest ways but Peyton stopped herself from thinking anything further. _That was just impossible._

Clay shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know but it's obviously someone connected to all of them. Do you think it's the boy that this room belongs to?"

"I…I don't know." Peyton puffed out while placing the picture back down. "I don't know anything anymore and it's starting to get really frustrating. These pictures being here don't make sense. Nathan coming back to his and Haley's old house doesn't make sense. Absolutely none of this makes sense."

Before Clay could respond to Peyton's rant, a loud crashing noise rang through the empty house. They both tensed, their hands automatically gripping their guns. Cautiously, they began to walk out of the bedroom and down the rest of the hall. It was dead silent which caused goosebumps to rise high on their skin. Peyton pointed towards the basement, the trail of blood reappearing at the edge of the steps. She slowly inched towards the steps and began to descend down them. Luckily for them, the steps were made out of steel so there would be no chance of them creaking.

They were both on high alert. Their hearts pounding and their guns positioned in front of them, ready to strike at any given moment. Once they reached the end of the stairs, they were met with a very dimly lit basement. Peyton's eyes immediately fell to the figure that was lying on the ground, tied to a chair that had tipped over. Her heart sank and she dropped her gun, the clattering of it hitting the floor loud in her ears.

"Nathan!" She cried out, running over to his lifeless body. "Clay call for an ambulance. Now!"

Clay immediately put away his gun and fumbled to press the "talk" button on his wrist watch. "This is a 10-00. Requesting back up and medical assistance, now." His voice was shaky as he ran over to Peyton and began to help her break Nathan from the ropes he was tied up in.

He was pale. God, he was so pale. His eyes looked sunken in, deep, dark circles resided underneath them. Bruises covered his face and his jaw. And there was blood everywhere. Clay looked for the source of the blood and let out a loud expletive when he found it. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

"Please tell me he has a pulse." Peyton begged. Once she undid the last of the rope, she began to feel around on his neck for his pulse point. Her heart almost stopped when she felt the very weak tremor underneath her finger tips. "Oh, thank God."

"Nathan, can you hear me? Come on, man, open your eyes." Clay pleaded, lightly tapping his hand against his face. Nathan's eyes fluttered slightly but remained closed. "Fucking paramedics, hurry up!"

~x~

As soon as Haley heard the sirens, she was out of the SUV. All of the other FBI agents were running into the house like mad men. She heard someone say something about an agent being shot and that was all she needed to hear before she started running towards the house. She didn't make it very far before a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.

"Haley, stop!" Lucas' voice boomed. "You know you aren't allowed in there."

Haley struggled against his grip for a few minutes before giving up. Tears were falling fast down her cheeks and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her whole body was shaking with fear, her heart pounding a mile per second. She had a terrible feeling about this, especially when she saw the panicked look on Dan's face.

It was seconds later that the ambulance pulled up, the paramedics quickly jumping out of the back. She watched as they rushed inside with bags of medical supplies and a gurney. And then everything was silent. Every agent was inside of that house and she wanted nothing more than to be with them. She had to know what was going on. She hadn't heard a gunshot go off while they were there but then again, she was too busy within her own thoughts.

She prayed that whoever it was, was okay, whether it was Nathan, Peyton, or Clay.

It felt like hours before there was movement. An agent rushed out of the house and held the front door open as a few more filed out. They all looked scared out of their minds and Haley swallowed thickly. Clay emerged next and she felt her heart sink even further when she saw his hands and his shirt were marred with blood. He was white as a ghost. He hadn't looked their way yet. Instead, he just kept his head down, his eyes trained on all of the blood.

A paramedic came next and everything from that moment seemed to move in slow motion. He was pulling out the stretcher and on the stretcher was…Nathan. All she could see were blurs of red as the tears started to race from her eyes and a sob tore from her throat. Her heart shattered. She broke free of Lucas' grasp and began to run, Nathan's name falling from her lips in a series desperate screams. She could hear people yelling at her but she didn't care. She just needed to get to Nathan.

She collided hard with Clay's body as he pushed her back. "I thought we told you to keep her in the car!" He shouted. "You need to stay back."

She pushed back against his chest. "No!" Lucas finally caught up to her and pulled her back but she fought hard against him, thrashing every which way. "Let me go!"

"No, Haley. You need to get back in that car." Clay demanded. "Lucas, get her out of here. She can't be here."

Her nails dug into Lucas' skin as she tried to pry him off of her. "That's my husband!" She yelled back. She could taste the salt of her tears. The anger, fear, and desperation was building up quickly. "You can't keep me from him!"

"Let her go." Peyton said sternly. She was standing off to the side, her hands at her sides. She had blood all of her hands and clothes, just like Clay. "Nathan needs her right now."

As soon as Lucas' grip loosened, she tore from his arms and pushed past Clay. They had just loaded Nathan into the back of the ambulance. None of the paramedics asked questions as she climbed into the back with him and none of them dared to tell her that she couldn't ride with them. When Haley finally saw Nathan up close, she felt a whole new set of tears wash over her. There was so much blood and normally she was squeamish when it came to those types of things, but at the moment she didn't care. There was an oxygen mask over his mouth and his skin was so pale it was almost white. She reached out to grab his arm, pulling it to her, not caring that she now had blood all over her clothes.

Nathan's eyes fluttered open and the only clear thing he could see was Haley. Everything else around him seemed blurry and out of focus. There were tears streaming down her face and he wanted nothing more than to reach up and brush them away. But he was so weak. He was so tired. All he felt like doing was closing his eyes and taking a long nap.

He vaguely felt her warm hand encase around his. He watched through hooded eyes as she brought his hand up to her mouth and a shiver ran through him as her lips brushed against his skin.

"I'm right here, Nathan. God, please, baby, don't leave me." was the last thing he heard before everything went black.

~x~

Seven hours and twenty one minutes, that's how long she had been sitting in that hospital waiting room. Seven hours and twenty one minutes and she still hadn't heard a damn thing about Nathan. The doctor's practically had to saw Haley's hand away from Nathan once they had arrive at the hospital. They tried to tell her that he needed surgery and that she needed to wait in the waiting room, but she wanted, no she needed, to stay with him. Unfortunately for her, the doctor's had won.

It was going on midnight. Most of the other agents had gone home, with the exception of Dan, Clay, and Peyton. Clay and Peyton had briefly went home to shower and change but hadn't left since. Haley's was still wearing her clothes that were now stained with Nathan's blood. Dried blood was splatter along her arms and her hands but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything accept for Nathan. The doctor's had told her they would come to talk to her as soon as they had news and the word of no news was starting to drive her crazy.

"Hales, maybe you should go home, shower, and get some sleep." Brooke said softly as she took a seat next to Haley on the leather couch was sitting on. She had never seen Haley look so scared before and it broke her heart. Brooke was having a hard time dealing with everything that was going on and she could only imagine the turmoil that Haley was going through. Lucas was a mess. Haley was a mess. Dan was a mess. Peyton and Clay were a mess. She was a mess. Everyone was a mess. She hated all of this, so much.

"I don't want to." Haley choked out.

"Haley…"

"I said, I don't want to!" Haley said a little bit louder this time.

Brooke sighed. "Can I get you anything?"

Haley just shook her head.

Brooke reached out to give her shoulder a squeeze before standing back up and walking over to where Lucas was sitting. Dan was off somewhere, talking on the phone. Clay was curled up on one of the other couches, sleeping, while Peyton was in one of the recliners, listening to music on her phone with her eyes closed. Lucas was flipping through a magazine, trying to keep his mind off of everything. Brooke plopped down next to him and laid her head against his shoulder.

"I hate this." She mumbled.

Lucas sighed, closing the magazine he was reading. "Me too."

"I wish there was something I could do to help her, to help you." Brooke muttered, her voice cracking. "She's so scared and she hasn't stopped crying. You seem just as terrified. I just wish I could do something to take your guys' pain away."

Lucas smiled softly, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. "You're doing that just by being here, I promise."

She returned the smile. "I just don't understand how you're able to be so strong through this."

Lucas shook his head, a tiny chuckle escaping his lips. "I'm glad that it seems that way because on the inside, I'm anything but okay. Seeing my brother on that stretcher with all that blood…I fell to my knees. As soon as I let Haley go, I collapsed. He…he looked dead and for a moment, I thought I had lost him. It was like my whole world came crumbling down."

"Oh, Lucas," Brooke cried, a few tears falling down her cheeks.

"I don't ever want to feel like that again."

~x~

"Mrs. Scott?"

Haley jolted away when she felt someone give her a slight shake. She blinked her eyes hard, confusion fogging up her brain. She couldn't remember falling asleep last night and now that she looked around, she saw that it was early in the morning. She could see the sun just peeking above the horizon through the only window in the waiting room. She glanced around the waiting room and saw Clay passed out on one of the couches, Peyton sleeping on one of the recliners, Dan nowhere in sight, and Brooke and Lucas passed out on one of the other couches. Her eyes finally landed on the doctor standing in front of her. She was a small woman, probably in her late 30's. She looked exhausted, her red hair pulled up in a tight bun and her make up rubbed from her eyes. But nonetheless, she looked…relieved.

It was then that the reality of everything came crashing down once again.

"Mrs. Scott," the doctor repeated with a small smile. "I need to speak with you in my office. I would do it here but its hospital rules."

Haley nodded, suddenly feeling much more awake. She got up from the couch she was sitting on and followed the doctor down a series of corridors until they reached her office. Her heart was pounding so hard and her stomach was in knots. The doctor didn't seem like she was about to deliver bad news but that didn't stop the fear and negativity from creeping into Haley's bones.

Once inside of her office, the doctor motion for Haley to take a seat before sitting down in her own desk chair. She glanced over at Haley and gave her a sympathetic smile. This poor woman was still covered in blood. "Would you like me to find a place where you can shower and get yourself a new set of clothes?" She knew there was no way that Haley was leaving this hospital. She saw the same look in her eyes that she saw in many of her patients- fear mixed in with hope and determination.

Haley shook her head. "No, I'm okay."

She nodded before continuing on. "I'm Dr. Roberts and I was the lead surgeon during your husband's surgery. I have to be honest, he's very lucky. The bullet didn't go through his body and it missed any major organ. In fact, it was lodged in the layer just beneath his skin. We were able to remove it without much trouble."

Haley let out a breath of air she didn't even know she was holding. The relief washed over her like a tidal wave and she felt the urge to cry again, this time for a completely different reason. "So, Nathan is going to be okay?"

Dr. Roberts nodded. "I don't see any reason why he shouldn't make a full recovery. He did lose a lot of blood and there is some bruising but that's about it. We were able to successfully complete a blood transfusion and we are pumping him with fluids as we speak."

"Oh, thank God."

"I do have to tell you this though, he did flat line once during surgery. He was only down for about thirty seconds which sounds a lot scarier than it is. Someone's heart has to stop for about six minutes before any real damage is done." Dr. Roberts explain.

Haley felt sick. Even though Nathan was fine now, at one point his heart had stopped beating and that very thought terrified Haley to her core. "Can I see him?"

Dr. Roberts nodded. "Of course."

~x~

Haley made slow strides into Nathan's hotel room. The beeping of the heart monitor was loud in her ears. There were so many tubes and wires connected to his body, it brought chills down her spine. He looked so helpless and so lifeless laying there. His skin wasn't as pale anymore and he looked a lot healthier than he did when she first laid eyes on him in that ambulance. The bruises on his jaw and on his cheek were much more prominent now. There seemed to be a small cut on his lip, too. She felt another sob crawling up her throat but she choked it down. He was okay. He was going to be okay.

Haley sat herself down in one of the chairs located besides his bed. She watched his chest rise and fall with every breath that he took. The sight was mesmerizing to her. That to her was proof that he was really alive and for the first time since she's been in that God forsaken hospital, she let herself relish in feeling relieved. She reached out and grabbed one of his hands, toying with his fingers. His skin no longer felt clammy or cold.

A few tears fell from her eyes, this time in pure happiness.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She cried quietly. "I don't know what I would have done if…if..., I'm just so glad you're alive. I don't know how I would have gone on without you. Nathan, I was so scared, God, I was so scared. There was so much blood. So much blood." She was barely hanging on. The words she was speaking were coming out in jumbled babble.

"Hales."

His voice was a hoarse whisper but it broke goosebumps to her skin. She looked up to see him looking back at her, his eyes were tiny slits but they were open. She didn't even try to stop the sobs from spilling over. "Oh my God, Nathan. Shhh, baby, it's okay. You don't have to talk." She scooted closer to him and brought her other hand up to his face. She delicately brushed her fingers against his skin.

He swallowed thickly, his throat dry. "Hales, I have to tell you something." He could barely get the words out. His tongue felt like rubber and it hurt to talk.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I found our son."


	11. Chapter 11

Your reviews never fail to blow me away. Thank you.

For those of you worried that I am going to leave this story unfinished, I promise you that, that is not going to happen. I have no intentions on abandoning this story. My life might get hectic and I might have other priorities, but I will finish this story. Just like you all, I have so many stories that I love on this site that are unfinished and it is such a terrible feeling. I wouldn't do that to you all. As of now, I have this story planned out to be about 25 chapters and then an epilogue. There might be more or there might be less, it depends on if I decide to add, combine, or delete some things. But, roughly 25 chapters. And to be honest, once I finish this story, I'm most likely going to start another. I have two story ideas rolling around in my head right now as I type this. I started to create a timeline for both of these stories. One of the stories is a very short like 5 chapter story and the other one is quite lengthy. I haven't started to write either of them and I'm not planning on starting either one of them until I finish this one. But that is just a little heads up on what's to come!

This chapter turned out a lot longer than I intended it to be. I wanted to cut somethings out/move them to the next chapter but I felt as if everything was necessary. So, I apologize for the length. Also, this chapter includes one of the biggest flashback of the entire story. Some of your questions should be answered within that flashback, but not all of them. There are still a few things that I want to build on and create more mystery before the reveal of the truth behind it all. Alright, enough of my rambling lololol.

* * *

 ** _Six years earlier…_**

 _A loud crack of thunder vibrated through the entire house, followed by a flash of lightning. The pitter patter of the rain against the windows and the roof echoed through the house. Apart from the thunderstorm raging outside, it was a quiet Friday night for the Scotts._

 _Nathan had just plopped down on the couch, a bowl of popcorn placed in front of him. He was flipping through the HBO channels, trying to find the perfect movie for him and Haley to watch._

 _"I finally got Jamie to sleep." Haley mumbled softly as she made her way into the living room. She had changed out of clothes for the day and into a pair of black sleep shorts and a light blue tank-top. She seated herself next to Nathan and curled herself into his side. Nathan secured his arm around her, holding her to him._

 _"Why didn't you come get me if he was giving you trouble?" Nathan asked, leaning over to press a kiss to her forehead._

 _"Oh, it was nothing I couldn't handle. He was just a little fussy. I don't think he's a fan of thunderstorms." Haley concluded._

 _"Yeah, well, what one year old is a fan of thunderstorms?" Nathan chuckled._

 _Haley giggled. "Actually, when I was a baby, I loved thunderstorms. According to my mom, the nights that it stormed were the only nights I slept without waking up every three hours."_

 _Nathan shook his head with a small smile on his face. "Why does that not surprise me?"_

 _She sat up, narrowing her eyes at him in a playful manner. "What is that supposed to mean?"_

 _He chuckled at her expression. "You were such a nerd in high school, it just makes sense to me that you would be a weird baby, too."_

 _Haley swatted at his arm, her mouth falling open in mock-shock. "I would hardly say that being able to sleep through thunderstorms would constitute as making me a 'weird' baby."_

 _Nathan shrugged his shoulders, a slight smirk tugging at the corners for his lips. "Maybe not."_

 _She rolled her eyes at him as she laid back into his embrace. "So what movie are we watching tonight?"_

 _"Well, let's see, I saw some chick flick, 'Transformers', some scary movie, 'Transformers', another chick flick, oh and did I mention 'Transformers'?" He answered with a coy smile._

 _"I think we should watch the chick flick." Haley teased, leaning forward to grab the remote._

 _"Haley…" Nathan began to whine. "We watched a chick flick last weekend."_

 _Haley laughed at the pout that was adorning her husband's face. She could already see Jamie forming that same pout. Like father, like son. "Oh, honey, but you made me watch those James Bond movies two weeks in a row prior to last week. I think it's only fair."_

 _For the last few months, watching movies had become a Friday night tradition for them. They both were only twenty three but the thought of going out and partying just didn't seem exciting to them anymore. They did enough of that during their early college years and with a little baby to take care of now, spending Friday nights curled up on the couch sounded like heaven._

 _"Yes, but you ended up enjoying those movies. I, however, did not enjoy watching 'The Proposal' or whatever." Nathan continued to whine._

 _Haley shook her head, laughing. "Fine, we can watch 'Transformers'. But next week, we are watching 'The Notebook' whether you like it or not."_

 _Nathan eagerly reached for the remote and quickly flipped to the channel that the movie was on. "Yeah, okay." He grabbed the bowl of popcorn and settled back into the couch._

 _Haley focused her attention on the movie in front of her but soon found her mind wandering. 'Transformers' wasn't doing anything to capture her interest. The natural worrier in her was starting to come out. She had a lot to do before Monday morning, the morning of her first day as a teacher. She would be lying if she said she wasn't absolutely terrified. She had spent most of the summer taking extra classes and doing some extensive research but she still didn't feel prepared._

 _"What's wrong?" Nathan asked, bringing Haley out of her thoughts._

 _"How did you know something was bothering me?"_

 _Nathan smiled softly before placing the bowl of popcorn back on the table. He situated himself on the couch so that he was facing Haley more. "I could practically hear your thoughts you were worrying so loud. Plus, you suddenly got all tense. That's sign number one that you're worried about something."_

 _Haley let out a breath of air. "I was just thinking about Monday."_

 _"You're still worried about that?"_

 _She nodded. "What if my students don't like me? What if I'm a terrible teacher? What if I get up in front of the class and make a complete full of myself? These are high school kids, they can practically smell fear and they'll use it to their advantage."_

 _Nathan let out a short chuckle before reaching to grab her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers and giving them a comforting squeeze. "And what if you're a fantastic teacher and all your students love you?"_

 _"But what if they don't?"_

 _"You're being too hard on yourself, Hales. You've put so much time and effort into this, there is now way you aren't ready. And yeah, I'm sure the first day will be a little rough but that's to be expected. I'm sure even experienced teachers have rough first days. But, I know everything is going to work out fine because I believe in you and you just have to believe in yourself." Nathan said with sincerity, his thumb brushing over Haley's knuckles in a soothing manner._

 _Haley smiled softly at him, her heart swelling at his words. "How is it that you always know just the right things to say?"_

 _Nathan shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess you could say it's all part of what makes me so awesome."_

 _She rolled her eyes but the smile never left her face. "What about you? Aren't you nervous for Monday?"_

 _He shook his head. "I don't get nervous, Haley."_

 _"Yes, I know. But you're going to be coaching the Ravens. Whitey practically handed the team of to you. You're like his protégé or something. That's some pretty heady stuff." Haley pointed out._

 _"It's definitely intimidating but Whitey wouldn't have given me the job if he didn't think I was right for it. He obviously believes in me so I know that is reason enough to believe in myself." Nathan answered._

 _Haley leaned over to press a kiss against his cheek before snuggling back into his side. There was a look in his eyes that brought tears to her own eyes. She knew that look, she knew that look well. "You still miss it, don't you?"_

 _A sad smiled graced his lips. "Every day."_

 _She could physically hear her heart break at the sadness in his voice. "Nathan, I really think you should look into playing again."_

 _He shook his head. "It too much of a risk."_

 _"But, it's your dream. You were born to play basketball."_

 _He squeezed her hand again. "Hales, one wrong move and my knee is done for. My health and my wellbeing trumps my desire to play. I need to be healthy for you and for Jamie."_

 _Haley sighed heavily. "I just want you to be happy. I don't want you to look back and regret not taking more chances."_

 _He placed his finger delicately underneath her chin and tilted her head up so that she was looking right at him. "I am happy, baby. I have you and Jamie, that's all I could ever want or need." He took a slight pause before continuing, "Besides, basketball is still a part of my life and it always will be."_

 _She sat just enough so that she could press her lips against his a soft kiss. After a few seconds, she pulled away and whispered, "I love you."_

 _"I love you, too."_

 _They spent the next twenty or so minutes in silence as the movie continued to play on. Haley found it harder and harder to keep her eyes open with every passing minute. The feeling of being so tightly wrapped in her husband's arms and the soothing sound of the rain pattering against the roof was quickly lulling her to sleep. She was just on the brink of sleep when the sharp sound of their doorbell ringing echoed through the house._

 _Her eyes popped open and she looked up at Nathan who was looking back at her. His forehead was wrinkled in confusion. "It's almost 10:30…who could possibly be ringing the doorbell this late?" She asked, her voice weak with fatigue._

 _Nathan shrugged. "I'm not sure. But, I'll get it. You looked like you were about to nod off."_

 _Haley immediately felt the loss of Nathan's body when he wiggled his way off the couch. She reached for the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and covered her body with it. There was slight apprehension bubbling up inside of her as she waited for Nathan to return from the door, or to at least call out to her to tell her who it was. She couldn't think of a single person who would be visiting them this late at night. If it were any of their friends or family, they would have called first._

 _A sufficient amount of time had passed and Nathan still hadn't returned. It was eerily quiet, as well. She tossed the blanket off of her body, stood up from the couch and cautiously walked towards the front door. She was met with a cool breeze that caused her to shiver as she walked around the corner. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked further until she noticed Nathan standing in the doorway. From where Haley was standing, she could tell Nathan's body was tense, frozen._

 _"Nathan?" She called out. "Is everything okay?" When she received no response, she stepped closer to him. "Nathan?"_

 _A few more minutes passed before Nathan finally turned around and Haley audibly gasped when she saw his face. He looked white as a ghost and she could visibly see his body trembling. It was then she noticed the slip of white paper tightly clutched in between his two hands. Before she realized what was happening, her feet were carrying her over to him. Without saying anything, he showed her the note and her blood ran cold._

Now you'll know how it feels to lose everything that you love – IB

 _"Nathan, this is another one of those notes." Haley choked out. She felt her throat close up and every part of her body felt numb. The pounding of her heart was loud in her ears._

 _He just nodded, swallowing hard._

 _Over the course of the last year, they've gotten a total of four different notes written on the same white, ripped paper. Albeit, the other notes had been stuffed in their mail box, unsigned and weren't as threatening. They were written in the same chicken scratch and said things like "I hope you're happy", "I still remember what you did", "I hope you know the pain you've caused", and "I'll never forget." Nathan had reported these notes to the police but there wasn't anything they could do. No finger prints could be found on the pieces of paper and no neighbors reported any suspicious activity._

 _This was the first note they've received in six months._

 _"IB?" Haley asked, taking the note out of Nathan's hand. She ran her fingers over the black ink._

 _Nathan just stared blankly at nothing in particular. Every nerve in his body was fizzled and his hands were tightly clutched into fists. "IB…Ian Banks."_

 _As soon as that horrid name left Nathan's mouth, the loud sound of glass shattering made them both jump. Seconds later, the shrill sound of their alarm system came barreling through the house. Nathan and Haley both looked at each other before gasping out Jamie's name and taking off running down the hall. They came to a screeching halt in front of Jamie's bedroom door. Nathan wasted no time swinging the door open and running into Jamie's room, Haley hot on heels._

 _He looked into Jamie's crib only to find it empty._

 _"Jamie's not in his crib." Nathan cried out, the panic rising to exceptional levels. His heart was pounding rapidly and he felt faint. This couldn't be happening. His chest was heaving, his lungs felt like there were being squeezed. He couldn't breathe._

 _With a shaky hand, Haley pointed towards the shattered window leading into Jamie's room. Shards of glass littered the grey carpet and glittered in the moonlight. The blue curtain whipped violently in the wind, the flapping sound loud in their ears. Haley felt as if someone had physically reached into her chest and ripped out her heart. Her legs gave out and she fell to the ground, the sobs tearing from her throat. She could vaguely hear Nathan run out of Jamie's room, shouting for him. She wanted to move, to search every possible place that Jamie could be…but she physically couldn't._

 _Long moments later, Nathan returned. He collapsed on to his knees next to her, his own sobs filling the room. "I-I saw them drive away. They had, they had Jamie." He choked out. Those words left a sour taste in his mouth. There was an unbearable pain in his chest and with the look that was on Haley's face, he knew that she felt the same pain that he did._

 _Pain. Disbelief. Bewilderment. Confusion._

 _How had a quiet night in end up becoming one of the worst nights of their lives with in a blink of an eye?_

 _~x~_

 _Nathan felt empty. The tears hadn't stopped falling from his eyes and he was in a constant state of anxiety. He wanted to die. Never in his life had he ever felt such an immense urge for the ground to swallow him up and end his misery. There were two things that just kept playing over and over again in his head- looking down into Jamie's crib only to find it empty and seeing that car drive away with Jamie in it. That was when his world had turned completely upside down. The pain…it was too much to handle. It consumed him. Every part of him. He never knew a pain like this could exist._

 _Who could so something like this?_

 _Actually, Nathan knew exactly who was capable of something like this._ Ian Banks. _That bastard. He should have known that he was the one sending them those strange notes. Everything made so much more sense now. Ian had a vendetta against Nathan ever since their senior year of high school when Nathan ended his basketball career. Nathan had pushed Ian through a window, resulting shards of glass to pierce his spinal cord. That wasn't one of Nathan's finer moments, in fact, it was something that he constantly beat himself up over. Something that he wished he could take back on more than one occasion._

 _But, the past was the past._

 _But what happened between them didn't warrant what Ian had just done to him and his family. He always knew that Ian Banks was nothing short of being completely insane. God, he wanted to kill him. He wanted…he just wanted Jamie back._

 _He looked over at Haley and felt his heart break all over again. She was talking to two police officers, her words coming out as desperate sobs. Her face was white, her eyes red and puffy. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms, to comfort her. She needed him just as much as he needed her but he knew he couldn't do that right now. Right now, he needed to make a phone call._

 _Pushing himself off of the couch, he walked to the back of the house and into his and Haley's bedroom. He shut the door behind him before pulling out his cell phone and the piece of paper Ian had left on their front porch. His eyes traced the black inked words for what felt like the hundredth time and just like the first time he read them, a chill ran down his spine. Taking a deep breath, he flipped over the paper and re-read the second message that was left. The message that he so conveniently hid from Haley._

First, him. Then, her.

 _Nathan swallowed hard, his body trembling. He wasn't sure if he was trembling from the anger or the fear that was coursing through his veins. He always felt the urge to protect his family but now that feeling was stronger than ever. Ian wasn't going to get away with this. He was going to get Jamie back and he was going to keep Haley safe, no matter what it took._

 _He reached into his pocket and pulled out him cell phone. He dialed his father's cell phone number and on the second ring, he heard Dan's gruff voice over the line._

 _"Son, it's almost 1 am and I have to catch a flight in five hours to DC, this better be important."_

 _"Ian took Jamie." Nathan rushed out. Those words sounded hollow coming out of his mouth, almost like they were a lie._

 _"What?" Dan's voice raised, the shock clearly evident. "What do you mean that Ian took Jamie?"_

 _Nathan informed his dad of all of the events that occurred that night. The farther he got into the story, the harder it was to find his voice. His throat was closing up and the tears fought their way back. This was all too much for him. He prayed that this was just some nightmare, some sick and twisted nightmare._

 _"Nathan, son, just breathe. Take deep breaths." Dan tried to console him._

 _"Dad, I-I can't breathe." Nathan choked. "He's got Jamie and he'll come after Haley, I just know it."_

 _"Nathan-"_

 _"He left a note. Haley's next. Dad, I can't, I just, I can't lose them both. I have to get Jamie back. I have to keep Haley safe. I don't know what to do." He knew he was talking a mile a minute but he couldn't stop. The room felt like it was caving in. His chest felt like a giant elephant was stepping on._

 _"I'll cancel my trip to DC. Call your mom and have her take you to the airport. Get on the first plane to New York. I'll meet you at my office." Dan ordered, his voice firm._

 _Nathan stopped dead in his tracks. "What? What about Haley?"_

 _"You don't tell her. You pack up your things and leave. I think it would be in your best interest to join my team. You'll have to take a few classes and go through a few training courses but I can accelerate that process." Dan continued on._

 _"You want me to join the FBI?"_

 _"Yes. This case is going to land in the hands of my team anyway. This isn't the first time Ian has tried something like this with you and we both know he isn't going to stop. This will be the one way to ensure Haley's safety and to get Jamie back." Dan explained. There was a confidence in his voice that brought goosebumps to Nathan's skin._

 _"I don't know if I can just leave Haley like that, dad." Nathan mumbled._

 _"Are you positive that Ian is going to go after her next?"_

 _"Yes. He's not going to stop."_

 _Dan sighed and paused slightly before continuing. "I know this isn't going to be easy, but I think it's something that you need to consider. You're the best witness when it comes to Ian. Joining the FBI will allow you more access to finding Jamie. It'll be like you have the front row seat in the case. Plus, if you join my team, I can classify Haley's files. I can hide your marriage and her location. Ian can still find her by her maiden name, but do you really think he's going to want to hurt her if he thinks you don't care about her anymore? It's not something that has to be permanent, just until we find a way to lock him up."_

 _Nathan let his father's words sink in. He did have a point. Ian only wanted Haley because Haley meant something to Nathan. He wouldn't hurt her if she meant nothing to him, would he? But could he really leave Haley? Walking away from her, now or ever, sounded impossible. What would all of this mean for their marriage? She would probably end up hating him…but he had to keep her safe. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something bad ever happened to her, especially if he was the cause._

 _"I'll do anything to keep my family safe."_

 _~x~_

Two Weeks. Fourteen days. 336 hours.

That's how much time has passed since Nathan revealed to Haley that their son was still alive. That's also how long it's been since he was shot in the side and held hostage in his old basement for a reason that is still unknown. It's been that long yet everything still seemed so fresh in his mind, almost like it had happened hours ago, not days.

The image of seeing Jamie sitting on that twin sized bed, a small basketball in his hand, and his blue eyes staring back at him was forever engrained into Nathan's mind. From the moment that Nathan laid eyes on that little boy, he just knew it was his son. Call it father's intuition, call it crazy…but he just knew. Everything about that moment was surreal. Never once did he let himself believe that Jamie wasn't alive, but he did have his moments of doubt.

He hadn't told his father yet. In fact, the only person he told was Haley. The only thing he vividly remembered about his first day in the hospital was opening his eyes, seeing Haley sitting at his bedside, telling her that he found Jamie, and then passing out again. That was the last time it was mentioned between the two of them. Granted, for about a week he was in and out of consciousness, which wouldn't have warranted for a good time for them to talk. Once he was released out of the hospital, she would come into his room to check on him from time to time but she seemed…tense. It was like she wasn't sure what to do with the information that he told her, which he didn't blame her, because he felt the same way.

"Hey little brother, how you feeling?"

Nathan looked up from his phone to see Lucas walking into his room. "Okay, I guess. I'm not in pain anymore but Haley insists that I stay in bed."

Lucas chuckled as he took a seat at Nathan's desk. "You know Haley, she obeys doctor's orders like they've come straight from the Bible."

A small smile graced Nathan's lips. "Yeah, I know."

Lucas took a deep breath before shifting nervously in his seat. There was a reason that he came in Nathan's room and it wasn't just to check up on him. He needed to ask him something, something that had been plaguing his mind since the moment he witness Nathan and Haley reunite. "Nate, can I ask you something?"

Nathan nodded his head.

"You're still in love with her, aren't you?" Lucas already knew the answer to that question but he still needed to hear Nathan admit it.

"I would say that's pretty obvious." Nathan mumbled.

Lucas ran his fingers through his hair before he leaned forward in his chair. His elbows were resting on his knees and his hands were clasped together. "Look, I'm only telling you this because you're my brother and I can't stand to see you hurting like this but, she's still in love with you."

Nathan felt his heart begin to hammer in his chest. He swallowed thickly. "She tell you that?"

Lucas shook his head. "No, but I know Haley. She put up these gigantic walls because she's hurt and because she's scared. But I still see that look in her eye. That look has ever left her eye. Not once in all these years." Lucas took a pause before continuing, "I saw the way she was when she found out you were missing or when she saw you on that stretcher. I saw the way she wouldn't leave your bedside at the hospital. She still loves you, she just doesn't want to admit it."

"Luke, I don't-"

Lucas shook his head to signal that he wasn't done yet. "I think part of the reason she is so cold towards you is because she believes she's supposed to hate you for leaving and she doesn't."

Nathan let out a breath of air that he didn't realize he was holding. He couldn't describe the feelings that were coursing through him. There was a sense of happiness and hope that felt almost foreign to him. He could see the sincerity in Lucas' eyes and he knew that his brother would never lie to him, especially when it came to Haley. "I left to keep her safe, Luke. I left for a good reason."

"She knows that now but she didn't back when it happened." Lucas pointed out. He stood up from his chair and placed his hands on his hips. "She spent the last six years believing that you just abandoned her. And to be honest, Nate, while I do see where you were coming from, you could have gone about it a completely different way. I mean, for God sakes, you left the night that your son was abducted. After the worst night of her life, the worst night of both of your lives, she needed you by her side. But, instead she was left with an empty bed. You didn't even leave a note."

Nathan buried his hands in his hair, tugging on the ends in a frustrated manner. He felt like his body was being pulled in every direction, his breathing labored. "I just freaked, okay?" He yelled out in frustration. "I didn't know what else to do. Ian took Jamie and I just lost it. I knew he wasn't going to stop. He was going to take everything from me until I was completely miserable. He was going to keep coming after me until I had nothing left. I already lost Jamie, I couldn't lose Haley, too. When I called my dad that night, he suggested that I join the FBI to finally bring Ian down and to keep Haley safe. It seemed like the perfect plan."

"Why didn't you tell Haley what your plan was? Why did you leave without saying anything?" Lucas interrogated. This was the first time that Nathan had ever opened up about why he left or what happened that night. The pain was clear in Nathan's eyes and it broke Lucas' heart.

"Because, at the time, I couldn't." Nathan admitted. "As long as Ian knew that Haley meant something to me, he wasn't going to stop until she was taken from me. I figured that if I left without as much as a note, it would prove that Haley didn't mean anything to me and Ian would back off. Clearly, that didn't work. I know I was stupid, I know that whole idea was stupid but I was desperate. I knew there was a chance that Haley would hate me, but I didn't care as long as she was safe."

"Have you told Haley any of this?"

"I tried but she doesn't want to listen." Nathan sighed. "God, I wish that I could take it all back. I wish I could take back all the pain that I've caused us and that I've caused her. These last six years without her have been the worst years of my life. I wish there was something I could say or do that could make this all better."

Nathan was broken. That is what Lucas gathered from everything that came out of his mouth. He was just a man who wanted to keep his family safe. Lucas let out a deep sigh before speaking. "You need to tell her everything that you just told me. You need to find a way to make her listen to you. And then you have to give her some time. This is going to be a lot for her to take in. She needs time to process everything. As for something you could do, you need to fight for her, Nate. Fight until you don't have anything left."

"I plan on it." Nathan said with conviction, meeting his brother's gaze.

Lucas smiled genuinely at Nathan. "Everything is going to work out. I truly believe that." When Nathan only smiled weakly, Lucas began to walk out of Nathan's room. Haley was next on his list of people he needed to have a talk with today. Well, actually, it wasn't really a list because Nathan and Haley were the only two names on it.

"Lucas, wait, I need to tell you something." Nathan found himself saying. His heart was in his throat. "It's about Jamie."

~x~

"You need to let him in, Hales." Lucas said as he made his entrance into Haley's room. She was laying on her stomach on her bed, looking through a photo album. That was something that he had caught her doing a lot recently. For the longest time, Haley refused to look at photo albums. She claimed that it caused her too much pain, so to see it become a daily routine for her was jarring.

Haley looked up from the photo album and chills ran down her spine at the serious expression on her best friend's face. She slowly closed the album before tossing it to the side. She readjusted her body so that she was sitting cross-legged on the bed. "I know." She whispered, looking down as if her nails were the most interesting thing in the world. "I'm just-"

"Scared?" Lucas finished for her.

Haley nodded sheepishly, looking up to meet Lucas' eyes. "The whole time we were sitting in that car, waiting to see if Nathan was there or if he was safe, I kept promising myself that if he made it out alive, I would let him in. And I want to, God I want to…I'm just so scared."

"You have every right to be scared," Lucas began as he walked over to her bed. He took a seat next to her and angled his body so that he was facing her. "But, the reason you're scared is because you don't know the whole truth."

"Do you know the whole truth?" Haley asked timidly.

Lucas sighed before reaching to grab her hand. "I'm not sure if I know the whole truth but I do know some of it." He could visibly see the internal battle Haley was having with herself. The changing emotions were evident in her eyes. "Haley, do you remember what you said to me when you called me on the one year anniversary of Jamie and Nathan's disappearance?"

She took a few seconds to recall the memory. Within seconds, it all came back to her. That was one of the only nights she actually drank herself into a drunken stupor, finishing an entire bottle of wine by herself. The memory of how exactly she ended up on the phone with Lucas was hazy but their conversation was anything but. "I told you that I just wanted him to come back. I told you that I didn't care what he's reasoning was, I just wanted him back."

Lucas reached up to brush away the single tear that was cascading down her cheek. "He came back, Hales. He's here now. That has to mean something."

"It does." She admitted. "It means everything. I guess I was just too focused on the anger and hurt that I felt than anything else. It was easier to feel that way then to let him in. It was easier to protect myself. He couldn't hurt me again if I didn't give him the chance."

"Talk to him. Let him explain."

After a few minutes of thinking it over, Haley finally conceded. "Okay."

Lucas smiled softly at her before turning serious once again. "There's something else that I want to talk to you about and it's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

Haley tensed. She knew this conversation was coming. "I'm assuming Nathan must have told you about Jamie."

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, he did. I'm in complete shock." And he was. He wasn't sure what Nathan had to tell him but as soon as the words "Jamie is alive" came out of his mouth, Lucas' heart stopped. He wasn't afraid to admit that he cried. He could still vibrantly remember the way it felt to hear that Jamie had been kidnapped. That was his Godson, after all. The Godson that he promised his brother and his best friend that he would protect. "How are you dealing with that information?"

"I'm not sure." Haley admitted. If she were honest, she had been avoiding thinking about it. She wasn't sure what to think or what to even make of that information. "It doesn't seem real. I never once let myself believe that he wasn't alive. I couldn't think like that. That would've killed me. But, I also never thought I would see him again."

Lucas nodded in understanding, tears shining in his eyes."Jamie's alive, Hales. Your son is alive."

~x~

It was another sleepless night for Haley. For the last two weeks, Haley found herself staring at the ceiling during all hours of the night. At some point, her body would get tired enough and fall asleep but it wasn't an easy process. She just couldn't seem to shut her mind off. She was worried about Nathan. She was worried about Jamie. She was just constantly worrying.

Tonight, all of her thoughts were centered on the conversation that she had with Lucas earlier in the day. He was right-she needed to let Nathan in, but she already knew that. She had made a promise to herself in the SUV that day that she intended on keeping. The thought of losing Nathan for good was enough to shatter the walls around her heart but that didn't mean she wasn't still scared out of her mind.

Then there was everything with Jamie. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he was alive. There was finally a chance that she was going to get him back. She had spent countless night of her life dreaming about holding Jamie again, playing with him…being his mom. She never completely lost hope but her hope had lessened over the years. At this point, she didn't care that she had missed parts of his life. Being able to live the rest of her life with him was better than nothing, in her opinion.

Being able to have her family back, regardless of how much time had passed, was better than nothing.

After, what felt like the hundredth time of turning over in her bed, she finally gave up. Throwing the blanket off of her body, she began the journey towards Nathan's room. They hadn't really talked much in the last two weeks and they desperately needed to. The faint noise of the TV from the living room could be heard as she made her way down the hall. Lucas and Brooke were either still up or had fallen asleep with the TV on again. They had been staying at the hotel for the last two weeks, mostly to help with Nathan and to comfort Haley. Clay and Peyton's bed room doors were completely shut.

When she arrived in front of Nathan's door, she found it to be cracked open. She paused, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. _You need to do this_ , she kept reminded herself. She took a deep breath before forcing herself to push the door open even further. She was met by darkness, except for the moonlight that was shining through the furthest window from her. Her eyes traced over the silhouette of Nathan's body that was laying on the bed. His bare back was facing her. She wasn't sure if he was sleeping or not and she silently prayed that he was still awake. There was no telling if she was ever going to find this kind of courage again.

Her heart pounded even louder in her chest.

"Nathan, are you awake?"

The soft whisper of Haley's voice had Nathan's eyes popping open. He glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table and saw that it was almost three in the morning. He wasn't anywhere near being asleep but it wasn't for a lack of trying. He turned over in his bed to see her standing timidly in the doorway of his room. The moon gave him enough light to see that her arms where wrapped around herself and her bottom lip was wedged between her teeth.

"Yeah." He answered while sitting up. He was panicking slightly, unsure of why Haley would need to come into his room at such a late hour in the night. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, uh, I was wondering if maybe we could talk." She asked shyly. She silently cursed herself for the way her voice sounded so shaky. It was just Nathan. "I know it's late and if you're tired then we don't have to. But, I feel like it's long overdue and I can't sleep-"

"You're rambling, Haley." Nathan let out a short chuckle, the panic immediately melting away.

Haley felt her cheeks heat up and she silently thanked God that they were currently in the dark. "Uh, yeah, I guess that part of me hasn't changed."

Nathan couldn't fight the smile even if he tried. The tension was still there between them but he couldn't help but notice that something felt different. He wasn't sure what the difference was but he knew that he liked. The cold attitude she normally gave him wasn't there anymore. Instead, he found an openness, a more welcoming vibe. "Um, yeah, I suppose we do have a lot to talk about."

Haley hesitantly walked towards his bed. She paused when she reached the edge of it. She debated with herself for a few seconds over if she sit down or not before deciding that she was being ridiculous. Crawling on to his bed, she sat cross legged, facing him. She was a few feet away from him, enough so that she was comfortable but not enough to make it awkward. Her eyes immediately fell to his naked chest that seemed to be even more enticing in the light gray moonlight. Those were definitely not the kind of thoughts she needed to be having right now.

Haley cleared her throat, shook her head, and forced her eyes away from him before deciding to speak. "I want you to be honest with me, Nathan. That's the only way that any of this is going to work. I want to know why you left. I want to know why you've kept so much from me. I want to know everything."

She wasn't sure why those words were so hard for her to say. Maybe it was because she knew that the conversation that they were going to be partaking in was one full of vulnerability. Haley was finally letting him in. She was finally making an effort to keep the walls she built down. It was absolutely terrifying yet so gratifying at the same time.

Nathan's heartbeat reached exponential levels at her words. She looked sincere, like she was ready to listen."I'll tell you anything that you want to know."

She began to nervously wring her fingers together. Butterflies erupted in her stomach at the intense feel of Nathan looking at her. It's like his eyes were burning holes into her skin. Taking a deep breath in hopes to calm her rapidly beating heart, she lifted her head to meet his gaze. She audibly gasped at the look that was in his eyes. It was then that she knew whatever came out of his mouth was going to be nothing but the one hundred percent truth.

 _Here goes nothing._

"I want to know why you left. I know you said that you left to keep me safe but why did you leave without saying goodbye? Why did you leave that night?" Haley could feel her throat close up as she choked out those questions. She knew that this was going to be hard but she didn't think it was going to be _this_ hard. He hadn't even answered them yet and she was already reeling.

"Do you remember that note that we found on our front porch the night Jamie was abducted?" Nathan asked softly. When she nodded, he continued on. "There was two messages left on that note. The back of that note said 'First him, then her'"

Haley gulped. The goosebumps were high on her skin. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She felt a moment of anger surge through her at his admission, anger at him for not telling her about the second part of the note. But, she forced herself to let it go. This was about letting him explain and forgiveness, not more anger.

"It was then that I knew Ian wasn't going to stop. You saw the way he always tried to purposely hurt me whenever we played against Pontiac. You saw the way he incessantly threatened me after I injured him. I always knew he was insane but for him to go as far as taking Jamie, I then knew he was psychotic. Seeing that note…it well, it freaked me out. So, I called my dad." Nathan explained.

"So, that's where you disappeared to?" Haley asked. She remembered seeing Nathan perched on the couch in their living room one minute and then next time she looked, he was gone. It wasn't until almost all of the police were gone before she saw him again.

Nathan nodded. "I told him everything that happened and he suggested that I join the FBI with him. At first, I didn't want to do it. I couldn't imagine leaving you, ever, especially after the tragedy we were just faced with. But, I felt like I didn't have a choice. Ian knew that you and Jamie meant as much as to me as basketball meant to him. It was then that my dad made a good point. He said that if I left as if you meant nothing to me, Ian wouldn't see it fit to hurt you anymore.

"Plus, with me joining the FBI, I could help with bringing Ian down along with keeping an eye on you. At the time, it seemed like the perfect plan. My dad said he could classify our files, hide our marriage basically. It would be harder for Ian to find you that way and if he did find you, it would seem as if our marriage was over. Later, I found out that Ian had connections within the FBI, that's why things needed to be classified. So, that night, I did the hardest thing I ever had to do…I left."

Haley closed her eyes, a few tears escaping from between her eyelashes. "Why didn't you tell me your plan?"

The broken sound of her voice had Nathan leaning forward to grab Haley's hand. He flinched when she jumped at the contact. "I didn't tell you because I couldn't, for two reasons. First, I was joining the FBI on a strictly confidential basis. That means, while I was actually an agent working on other cases, I was secretly working on another case."

She slowly opened her eyes but kept them trained on their joined hands. "What other case?"

"Finding Jamie." Nathan answered quickly. "This entire time, my dad and I, along with Mouth have been working on finding Jamie. Clay, Peyton and the rest of the agents had no idea. They still don't have a clue. That's also the reason I never told them I was married."

"Oh, wow." Haley muttered. This was all just so much. "Wh-what was the second reason you left without a word?"

"Perfecting the mirage that you meant nothing to me. If I left a note or something like that, it would have meant that I cared. I couldn't risk Ian finding out about something like that."

Haley sat in silence as she took in everything that Nathan said. He really was just trying to do what he thought was best in order to keep her safe. Could she really be angry at him for that? This was all too much for her to handle. She felt like her head was spinning as the tears continuously poured from her eyes. It wasn't until she felt Nathan squeezing her hand that she looked up at him again. She swallowed hard when she saw tears shining in his own eyes.

"I wish I could take it all back, Haley. I wish I could go back and do things differently but life doesn't work that way. There are no words to explain just how sorry I am. I'm sorry for leaving you. I'm sorry for making you think that I don't love you or that I don't want to be your husband. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm just sorry." He cried, his grip on Haley's hand only increasing. The conviction in his voice brought chills down his spine.

Tears were falling effortlessly from his blue eyes but there was no mistaking the sincerity mixed in with the regret. Haley reached up to cup his cheek, the pad of her thumb delicately brushing away the tears. "Tell me about Jamie." She was desperate to change the subject. It wasn't because she didn't believe his apology or that she didn't want to hear it. In fact, it was the complete opposite. It was all so emotionally draining.

A sad smile spread across Nathan's face as he leaned into Haley's touch. He brought his free hand up to cover the one that was touching his face. "He's beautiful, Hales. He's the perfection combination of the both of us. He has my eyes but he has your nose. He's got your blonde hair but my smile. He smiled at me, Hales. He smiled at me like he knew who I was."

Haley dropped her hand from his face to cover her mouth to suppress the sob that was bubbling up her throat. Hearing about Jamie caused her emotions to run even wilder. Her tears were a mixture of sadness and happiness. Sadness because she wanted nothing more than to be with him again, to be a family again. Happiness because he was alive. "Do-do you think we'll ever get him back?"

Nathan scooted closer to her and pulled her tightly into his arms. His hands soothingly ran up and down her back as he leaned to press a kiss to her forehead. "I know we will."

Haley welcomed his embrace. She snuggled closer to him as he laid them back into the bed. Her tears seemed to subside and all of the tension in her body seemed to melt away as soon as Nathan wrapped his arms around her. Despite the craziness that was her life, she felt safe. That's what being in Nathan's arms always did to her. She finally understood why he decided to leave. Of course, she still wasn't happy about it. There were so many things that he could have done instead. But she couldn't fault him, not anymore.

Eventually, she felt sleep come over her. It was in that state that she allowed her heart to whisper the one thing she kept denying; _I love you, Nathan Scott. Always have, always will._


	12. Chapter 12

You all continue to blow me away. Thank you.

Most of you don't really agree with why Nathan left and I, also, agree with you! The reason and how Nathan left was definitely kind of cruel and definitely not the smartest thing he could have done. But, like he explains to Haley, he was freaked out and believed that he was doing what was for the best. He definitely understands what he did wasn't the best now but can't change the past. Also, I know most of you still have a lot of questions, probably even more questions after the flashback last chapter- like where was Jamie this entire time? Why has it taken 6 years for all of this to come to a head? What happened to Jamie over the last 6 years? I promise you that all of those questions will eventually be answered!

Remember a few chapters ago when I said that there was something that I thought I made pretty obvious but I guess not? Keep that in mind when you read this ;)

I gotta be honest, I feel like this chapter is some of my best work. I'm really happy with the way it came out. But, I'll let you guys be the judge.

* * *

The black top road felt cool underneath the palm of her hands. She could vaguely feel a few small gravel rocks pressing into her back through the material of her jacket but she was too comfortable to move. Her eyes were trained on the gray sky above her, the dark clouds threatening to unleash buckets of rain at any given moment. But, even that wasn't enough to motivate her to move from her current position.

Haley wasn't exactly sure how she had ended up laying there, in the middle of the road in the middle of the night. She had spent the whole day holed up in that hotel room, alone. It was kind of like a slap in the face to wake up that morning, by herself, in Nathan's bed. He had left her a note, explaining that there was some mandatory performance review that the agents had to do today, there were cops surrounding the hotel to keep her safe, and that he would be back later. She wasn't necessarily angry at him, but that still didn't stop the disappointment from overtaking her. Lucas had to go back to his apartment and Brooke had to work, so she was left alone with her thoughts.

The night before, she had finally collapsed the walls around her heart and allowed Nathan to fully explain himself. What he told her…it was a lot to process. There was some much she didn't know and the truth was so much scarier than she could have ever imagined. Of course, she still had her doubts. She couldn't control them. They were like little gnats in the back of her mind, eating away slowly at her. But, that all changed the second Nathan pulled her into his arms. His arms were her safe haven. The steady beating of his heart, the warmth his body provided…she knew then that her head could no longer deny what her heart already knew.

She was still in love with him and she always would be.

The feelings she felt about that revelation could only be described as a twisted paradox. She was terrified, unsure of what to do with her feelings. Did she just jump back into his arms and forget all the pain the last six years have brought her? Could their marriage even be salvaged? She, also, found a type of peace. It was like a breath of fresh air. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She had spent so much time denying how she felt…it felt good to finally set herself free.

Honestly, she wasn't sure why she fought so hard to keep her feelings buried. She wanted to say it was easier than letting herself feel but that was far from the truth. Keeping her feelings buried was one of the hardest things she ever had to do but it's what she thought she _had_ to do. So many people, mostly Brooke and her mom, had been constantly nagging her about moving on. She was constantly reminded that Nathan had left and the mind-numbing pain of his departure soon became the only thing she felt. She didn't really stand a chance against her broken heart.

The overwhelming emotions that were consuming her was the reason she ended up in the middle of that road, she decided. She needed to clear her head. She needed that fresh air. Consciously, she knew that she wasn't supposed to leave, especially without an escort, but she figured a few stolen moments wouldn't hurt. It's not like she was miles away from the hotel, either. In fact, the road that she was laying in the middle of was just outside of the hotel. Plus, Haley considered herself a pretty fast runner. So, if someone were to come after, she was pretty sure she could out run them.

The sound of shoes scraping against the gravel had Haley's head turning. She felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Nathan walking towards her, his hands in his jean pockets, and a questioning look on his face. Her eyes swept over the leather jacket that was adorning the top half of his body. She couldn't recall ever seeing it before and she found herself licking her lips. She was so entranced by him that she hadn't even realized that he was now laying down beside her.

"So, what happens if a car comes?" He asked her, his head turned so that he was looking straight at her.

Haley kept her eyes trained on the sky as she tried her hardest to suppress her smile. "We die."

Nathan chuckled, his eyes shifting to the sky as well. "This is all very 'The Notebook'. Are you my Allie?"

It was Haley's turn to look at him with a questioning look. "How would you know that? You've never seen that movie."

"That's what you think."

"No, that's what I know. I was going to force you to watch it the week after…" Her voice trailed off as she inwardly cringed. Now wasn't the time to bring up old wounds.

There was a moment of silence before Nathan spoken again, his voice taking on a much softer tone. "Do you want to know a secret?"

She readjusted her body so that she was facing him, her head propped up by her hand. The rocks that were once digging into her back were now digging into her side but she just ignored them. "Sure."

"I did end up watching 'The Notebook' the week after I, um, left." He revealed. "I was alone in my hotel room and everything was still so fresh. I remembered you saying that you were going to force me to watch it and I just wanted to pretend everything was okay, even if it was only for a few hours. So, I found the movie on On Demand and watched it. The whole time I pretended that you were laying in my arms and that it was just another one of our movie nights. I suppose that sounds a little…weird."

For some unknown reason, Haley felt tears well up in her eyes. It was like everything inside of her just shifted at his simple confession. Never once did she consider all of the pain he had to have been feeling, how much it must have killed him to leave her and to lose their son. She wasn't afraid anymore. There was no more apprehension. Just an undying love for the man lying beside her.

She suddenly lifted herself up from off the ground, brushing her hands against her jeans. "How do you always do that?" She asked. There wasn't an accusing tone to her voice, in fact…it was awe.

Nathan sat up, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "How do I do what?"

She threaded her fingers in her hair as she shook her head. There was a trace of a smile on her face as she began a short pace. Her actions only served to confuse Nathan more. He stood up from the ground, as well. He stepped in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her pacing. "Hales, you're starting to scare me."

Haley looked up at him, her bottom lip secure between her teeth. "Do you remember when you asked me if it was impossible for me to love you again?"

Nathan swallowed hard. His heart suddenly felt like it was in his throat. "Yeah."

A slow smile spread across her face. She reached up to cup his cheek and to caress the bone there with pad of her thumb. "It's not impossible, but that's mostly because…I never stopping loving you to begin with."

Nathan swore his heart had actually stopped beating. The warm brown color of Haley's eyes showed nothing but sincerity. This euphoric feeling spread across his body like a wildfire. God, he had waited forever to hear her say those words. He couldn't stop himself from cupping her cheeks and slanting his mouth over hers even if he tried. Haley immediately responded to the kiss, her lips brushing over his with the same urgency. Her small hands gripped on to the ends of his leather jacket, holding him as close to her as humanly possible.

This kiss was so much different than the one they shared in her room a few weeks ago or the one in the kitchen. This kiss was gentle, the caresses of their lips sending shivers down both of their spines. There was also an urgency to the kiss. It was like their bodies were finally getting a taste of something that they had craved for a long time, like the first sip of water after spending the day in the desert.

There was promise, hope…desire.

When air became an issue, Nathan reluctantly pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. His hands still remained on her face, his fingers delicately rubbing against her skin. "You have no idea how many times I've dreamt of you saying those exact words." His words were breathless, his heartbeat still racing from the kiss moments before.

A lazy smile spread across Haley's face. "Probably as many times as I've dreamt of saying them." She reached up to place another kiss on his lips, this one lasting only seconds before pulling away again.

"God, I love you." He breathed out. "I love you so damn much."

She felt her heart clench at his words. She was positive that hearing those words would always warrant the same reaction from her. "I love you, too."

He pulled away from her just enough to see her entire face. "So, what does this mean?"

"It means that I love you." She replied with a teasing smile before her expression turned serious. "It means that I forgive you. I don't necessarily agree with everything that you did but I understand why you did it. You just wanted to keep me safe. You wanted to keep our son safe. That's something I could never hold against you."

Nathan gave her a small smile, his hands dropping to her sides. He intertwined their fingers, giving her hands a slight squeeze. His heart swelled as he stared into her eyes. She had forgiven him. She said that she still loved him. He had spent so many nights dreaming about this moment and for it to finally be real…it was almost too much to believe. For the first time in the last six years, he felt genuinely happy.

"But, I think we should take things slow." Haley added a few seconds later. "Six years is a long time to be away from someone and we're definitely not the same people we were all of those years ago. We need some time to get to know each other again. I don't want to jump right into things, especially with everything going on with Jamie and Ian. It's going to take a lot of work to rebuild us but I'm willing to put the effort in."

Nathan nodded. "I agree. I don't care what it takes because I love you and I believe in us. We'll get our happy ending. We'll get out family back. I really believe that."

"Me too."

It was then that the dark clouds above them unleashed buckets of rain, leaving them both drenched within seconds. Nathan laughed as he pulled on Haley's arm, running them both towards the hotel. Nathan's eyes never left Haley's face as he watched her laugh and run with him. Her hair was now sticking to her face and the remnants of her makeup were smeared down her cheeks. Even then, Nathan couldn't help but think she looked absolutely radiant. It had felt like decades since he had last seen her smile like that. Things weren't perfect, far from actually, but her smiling in such a carefree manner meant that they were finally on their way.

Once they were inside the warm and safe confines of the hotel room, Nathan had Haley pinned up against the wall, his lips covering hers in a heated kiss. Her fingers were threaded in his wet hair as she matched the pace of his kiss. She could slowly feel her resolve start to slip away. Her mind was turning hazy, her body felt like a raging inferno…all things that only Nathan Scott could cause to happen to her. It had been such a long time since they had properly made love and there was a waiting bed just a few steps from them. But, she couldn't allow her mind to go there. They were taking things slow.

After a few more moments, Haley pulled away, her breathing ragged. "What was that for?"

Nathan smirked, shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant way. "It's been so long since I've been able to do that whenever I want…I guess I just can't control myself around you."

Haley playfully rolled her eyes. "Always such the charmer. I'm glad to see that hasn't changed about you."

He gave her a genuine smile before backing away from her. "Come on, let's get out of these wet clothes."

Haley nodded before following him down the hall. She disappeared into her room and quickly discarded her wet clothes. She redressed herself in a pair of sleep shorts and t-shirt. Throwing her hair up into a pony tail, she headed back to Nathan's room. He was just throwing his wet clothes into the hamper as she walked in.

"I was, uh, hoping that maybe I could stay in here again?" She asked with a sheepish grin.

Nathan chuckled. "I was hoping that you would ask that."

They both crawled into Nathan's bed and Haley curled into his side. Her body still felt a little cold from the rain but being pressed up against Nathan quickly had the cold melting away. Being wrapped up in his arms was definitely one of the things that she missed most. She had never felt so serene in her life. Over their time apart, she never once slept peacefully. Her nights were always full of tossing and turning, except for the previous night. She had finally had a peaceful sleep and she knew the cause was none other than being in his arms. It was then that she thought back to waking up in an empty bed that morning.

"Are you going to be here when I wake up tomorrow morning?" Her question was partially a joke but at the same time, she needed to know.

"I'll be here." Nathan respond, his grip on her tightening.

She sighed contently as her fingers began to dance across the skin of his naked chest. "Does that still hurt?" She asked as she trailed her fingers down to the small bandage that was covering his gunshot wound.

Nathan shook his head, a shiver running through him at her touch. "Not really. It's almost healed now."

She nodded, trailing her fingers back up to his chest. "Did you tell Dan about Jamie yet?"

"Yeah, I told him this morning. He thinks it's time that we include the rest of the team on what's going on." He informed her.

"What do you think?"

"I think he's right. For the longest time, it's just been me, Mouth, and him. We didn't want to include anyone else because it was too much of a risk. Do you remember when I said Ian had some connection within the FBI?" He asked her.

Haley nodded.

"When I first started working with the BAU, about half of the team knew the entire situation. We were presented with a few promising leads but they ended up being squashed. It seemed like every time we were going to make a move, Ian and whoever else was working with him already knew what we were going to do. They were always two steps ahead of us. It took my dad about a year before he figured out that Ian had an insider and he only found that out because of a slip up. He caught of the agents making restricted calls on our telephones. It was then that we had to clean house and hire all new agents from different sectors."

"Oh wow." Haley muttered.

"So, that's why we decided to keep things just between the three of us until it was absolutely necessary. Which is part of the reason Clay and Peyton never knew that I was married. It's not that I didn't trust them, it was just we couldn't take the chance of Ian finding out. Anyone could have been working for him." Nathan explained even further.

"That makes sense."

"Once Ian's insiders were gone, things got quiet. For three years, we heard nothing. It was honestly like Ian had fell off the face of the planet. The only thing we had were all of these murder and rape cases that we were only seventy percent sure were actually being committed by him. It wasn't until two years ago that your file landed on my desk. A list was left behind at one of these murders. A list of victims and your name was the only name not crossed off. It was then I knew it was Ian." He continued on.

Haley felt goosebumps rise on her skin. Even though she was well aware of the list, it still creeped her out to hear of it again. "This all seems like a poorly written Lifetime movie."

"If only," Nathan chuckled. "Things were quiet again for a while until pictures showed up that Ian was in North Carolina. That is what brought us here."

"That must have been so hard for you. How did you manage to keep things so secret?" She pondered, almost to herself.

"It was hard, but I managed pretty well. It was up until we were back in Tree Hill that my façade finally cracked." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I was holding up pretty well until I decided to come see you."

"Come see me?"

He nodded. "As soon as I got word that Ian was in the area and that we were headed to Tree Hill, I got on the first plane I could. I broke a lot of rules and I went behind my father's back, but I had to make sure you were okay. So, I flew in and went straight to your work. Unfortunately, I didn't do a very good job of covering my tracks and my partners quickly figured out where I disappeared to."

Haley couldn't help but be touched by that gesture. "I'm sure they were confused as all hell."

"Oh, they were. They drilled in to me and kept trying to figure out why this case had me so shaken up. I kept denying everything and even though they didn't believe me, I could still fight them off. But, when I saw you out with Chase that one night…I lost it. I just freaked and I had no choice but to tell them you were my wife." Nathan revealed, his voice getting quiet at the mention of Chase.

Haley immediately sat up, the guilt coming over her in one giant tidal wave. "Nathan, I-"

He shook his head. "Don't apologize, Haley. We weren't together. I'll be honest, seeing you with him hurt like hell. I was angry. I was jealous. But, I knew I was the reason you were with him. You were just trying to move on and I can't fault you for that."

It was her turn to shake her head. "It was never about trying to move on. I always knew that there was no way for me to get over you, no matter how hard I tried. It was always you, Nathan. Chase…he was a distraction and a way to get Brooke to stop nagging me."

A small smile spread across Nathan's face at the mention of Brooke's antics. "Did it at least work?"

She shook her head, returning the slight smile. "No. She called me out so many times about not moving on. She saw right through me."

Nathan leaned forward a pressed a chase kiss against her lips before pulling away. "I still hate that guy. No one is allowed to touch you, no one but me."

Haley felt a shiver run down her spine as his husky words and his hot breath that danced across her lips. "That's v-very caveman of you."

Nathan shrugged. "You're mine, and what's mine is only mine."

"You remember how I said I wanted to take things slow?"

He nodded.

"You're making it really hard to do that right now."

Nathan smirked. "I know the feeling…maybe we should just go to bed."

Haley shook her head. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck. "I don't think a little making out would hurt anything."

"Absolutely not."

~x~

"Is everyone here?" Dan called out as he made his entrance into the large conference room.

"Yeah, I believe so." Clay responded as he took his seat on the other side of Nathan.

"Then let's get started." Dan announced. "I've called you all into the station today because my son, Agent Scott, and I have something we need to address to all of you. Nathan, the floor is yours."

Nathan gave Haley's hand a squeeze before getting up from his chair to join his father in the front of the room. Brooke immediately scooted closer to Haley and grabbed her hand while Lucas gave her a comforting smile. Haley had asked them to join in on the meeting because she was sure she was going to need as much emotional support as she could get.

Nathan cleared his throat and looked out into the room of about fifteen people. Everyone involved in this case was there. From the digital coordinators to his partners. "As all of you know, we were called to Tree Hill because a trail of murders and rapes committed by Ian Banks led us here. We were sent her to try and catch him before he got to his next victim, Haley James."

He paused, looking back at his dad who give him an encouraging nod.

Taking a deep breath, he continued. "There are quite a few things that you don't know about this case. For starters, Haley James...she's actually Haley James Scott. She's my wife."

A few murmurs and shuffles could be heard throughout the room. Mouth, Clay, and Peyton all exchanged knowing glances.

"Ian Banks is actually an old enemy of mine, dating back to my early high school years. In fact, we were something as trivial as basketball rivals. During my senior year of high school, we got into a huge fight that ended with Ian suffering an injury of my doing that ended his basketball career. Ever since then, he's had this vendetta against me. Things came to a head about six years ago when he kidnapped my son, Jamie Scott." Nathan explained.

The whole room erupted at that confession.

Peyton immediately whipped her head towards Clay. "Those pictures in the house…the one of the little boy…"

Clay nodded, his eyes mirroring the same amount of shock hers were. "I knew there was something with that picture. He resembled Nathan and Haley way too much for it to be a coincidence."

"I didn't want to believe." Peyton said softly. "It all just got too weird for me."

"Alright, quiet down, quiet down." Dan boomed. "I know this is coming to a shock to most of you. You're probably wondering why we kept all of this from you guys but we had our reasons. But, we need you to all settle down because the most crucial part of this is yet to come."

Nathan waited until the room fell silent before continuing. "A few weeks ago, when I was kidnapped, I found Jamie. For a long while, I wasn't sure if Jamie was still alive but he is." His eyes landed on Haley who was visibly crying. "My wife and I, we're over joyed by this news. But, our true happiness is still far from reach. We need all of you on board to finally locking up Ian Banks and to finally get our son back."

It was Dan's turn to address the room of very confused but very supportive group of people. "This is no longer a premeditated homicide case, this is now a missing person's case as well. Within the day, I will be having separate meetings with each department to explain your new active duties. I know many of you have questions and I will try my best to answer them to my best ability during those meetings."

Dan spent the next ten minutes filling in the crowd with more specific details, like the fact that Ian appeared to be staying at Nathan and Haley's old house, how two people by the names of Dominic and Theodore appeared to be working with him, etc. He finished off his speech by thanking everyone for their time and to be looking for his email regarding the department meetings. Once the meeting room cleared out, Dan turned to Nathan.

"Take the day, son. Everything is going to get even more stressful within the next few days. Today is probably going to be the last day you're going to have to relax." Dan advised.

Nathan let out a sigh. "I don't think the word 'relax' is in my vocabulary. I think I might just look over some more files."

Dan shook his head. "Nathan, there's nothing else that you can do right now. You can look over those files a hundred more times but nothing is going to change. You have to just wait until I get all of the departments set up and we work together to formulate our first move."

"Dad-"

"No buts. Take the day."

Nathan sighed before nodding his head. Dan smiled and gave him a pat on the back before exiting the conference room himself. Nathan then started to walk back over to his friends.

"A son, huh?" Clay lowly whistled as Nathan walked over to him.

"Are you mad that I didn't tell you about that?" Nathan asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Clay smiled while shaking his head. "Am I mad? No. Am I experiencing whiplash for the second time in a very short time frame? Yes."

Nathan chuckled. "I really am sorry that I kept all of this from you. I wanted to tell you because you have become such a great friend, but I just couldn't. "

Clay clapped a hand over his shoulder. "It's okay, man. I understand. We're friends, yes, but your family comes first."

Nathan smiled. "Thank you."

"We're gonna get your son back, Nate. I'm going to do everything that I can." Clay declared, giving Nathan's shoulder a squeeze.

"Me too." Peyton said as she made her way over to her two partners.

"Are you mad?" Nathan asked. Out of the two of them, he figured she would be the one that would have taken him keeping ever more secrets from them the hardest.

Surprisingly, she shook her head. "If I wasn't a parent, then maybe. You were just protecting your family. I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes."

Nathan smiled gratefully at the both of them. "You guys have no idea how much your support means to me."

"It's what we're here for." Peyton said with a smile. "Now come on, let's go home and get some rest. Things are about to get crazy around here."

~x~

Brooke plopped down on the couch next to Haley who was currently engrossed in some soap opera that was playing on the TV screen. Nathan and Lucas were out playing one-on-one, something that Haley practically had to force Nathan to do. She knew that he wanted to stay focused on finding Jamie because she felt the same way but it wasn't healthy for them to obsess over it. Dan was right, at the moment, there wasn't anything else they could do. It was all big a waiting game. Clay was taking a nap and Peyton went off to skype her fiancé and their daughter, leaving Haley and Brooke to entertain themselves.

"So, you seem in better spirits." Brooke pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

Haley shrugged. "Yeah, a little bit. I don't know, I'm trying to not get my hopes up because things are still so complicated but for the first time in a long time, I have genuine hope."

Brooke smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that, Hales."

"I know but it's still so uncertain." Haley mumbled. "Ian is still out there and he's still as dangerous as ever. Who knows what it's going to take to get Jamie back."

Brooke readjusted herself so that she was sitting cross-legged and facing Haley. "There are a team of FBI agents, trained and highly skilled FBI agents might I add, working on this case. I'm sure that whatever happens, they'll know how to deal with it. Just hold on to that hope, Haley. Hold on to it tightly."

Haley smiled gratefully at her. "I will."

Brooke returned the smile before shifting the conversation to something a little lighter. "You know, I couldn't help but notice a little bit of hand-holding going on between you and Nathan at that meeting today. Anything you want to tell me?"

Haley immediately felt her cheeks heat up. "Actually, yes there is."

Brooke clapped her hands together excitedly as she watched the smile and blush cover her best friend's face. "Oooh, do tell."

"We're not officially back together, I mean, we're together but…we're taking things slow." Haley babbled. "We had a much needed talk the other night and he explained everything. And, I just let myself finally feel everything that I had been bottling up. I told him how I felt and we just decided to take things slow. It's going to take time to build our relationship back up again but, it's worth it."

"And how exactly do you feel?" Brooke prodded. She already knew the answer to that question but she just wanted to hear Haley say it.

Another layer of blush covered Haley's cheeks. "I love him, Brooke, but you already knew that. You've been calling me out on my 'faux moved on' attitude for years."

Brooke let out a short laugh. "I know, I just wanted to make you say it."

Haley playfully rolled her eyes in response. "You are one of a kind, Brooke Davis."

"So I've been told." She giggled. "But, it all seriousness, I'm really happy for you. I was scared that those walls that you put up were going to cause you the most pain in the end, but I'm glad to hear that my fear was wrong."

Unconsciously, Haley reached up to play with her ring that was still strung on to her cross. "I was, too. But, let's just say that some unprecedented and scary events happened that really opened my eyes."

"Nathan's kidnapping?"

Haley shivered at the mention of that, a reaction that was a common occurrence whenever someone brought it up. "Yeah."

Brooke notice the change in Haley's demeanor right away and decided that it was time to change the subject again. The last thing she wanted to do was remind Haley of the pain she experienced during that time, especially when things were starting to brighten up. "Before I forget, our boss wanted me to tell you that you forgot to sign one of the papers regarding your leave of absence. Apparently, he hasn't been able to process it yet because you didn't sign one of the forms."

"Oh well, I guess I could probably stop by there today and sign that." Haley said as she began to get up from the couch.

"Stop by where?" Nathan asked as he walked into the living room, Lucas trailing right behind him. There was sweat dripping down from his forehead and the black wife beater he was wearing clung to his body. His face was still a little flushed, as was Lucas'. Lucas' grey t-shirt was also drenched, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead.

"Levy's." Haley answered. "I guess I didn't sign one of the paper's regarding my leave of absence. I gotta go by there today to sign it."

Nathan shook his head. "Absolutely not."

Haley furrowed her eyebrows together. "What?"

"You're not supposed to leave this hotel unless it's an absolute emergency."

"I know that but you guys said I could go somewhere if I had an agent with me. Plus, I would count this as kind of an emergency. You guys did say that the leave of absence was vital to keeping my location a secret. If I'm technically still in Levy's system, it makes it easier for Ian to find me." Haley pointed out as she placed her hands on her hips.

"She's right, Nate." Lucas said. "Look, we can both go with her. She goes in to sign the paper and then we leave. It'll take, what, ten minutes tops?"

Nathan looked between Lucas and Haley before sighing in defeat. They both did have a point. "Fine. But, let me shower and get out of these sweaty clothes first."

About forty five minutes later, they were walking into Levy's. Brooke had decided to tag along as well. Nathan was hovering closely over Haley, his hand never leaving the small of her back. She had to suppress a smile at that action. His protective side never failed to warm her heart, no matter how overbearing it was. When she reached her bosses office, she turned to face her small entourage.

"I'll be fast, okay?" She said as she stepped away from them.

Nathan nodded. "Be careful."

Haley rolled her eyes but gave him a small smile. "I'm just going in the office to sign a paper, I'll be fine."

"You can never be too sure."

Haley shook her head she gave a quick knock the wooden door. A few seconds later she heard her boss yell "it's open", so she went inside. Once the door closed, Nathan leaned back against the wall and decided to look around the bar. It was still early in the day so the place wasn't as busy. There had to be a total of five, maybe six people seated. He was about to check his phone when the two new people that had walked in caught his eye.

He felt his blood run cold the moment that he laid eyes on them. Every muscle in his body tensed and he could have sworn that his heart had actually fallen out of his chest. He could recognize those menacing faces anywhere. Their dark eyes, one set brown and the other set green. Images of being in that basement flashed through his mind. Their taunting words echoed in his ears, making his head feel like it was spinning. The spot in his side where he had been shot seemed to throb in pain, almost like he had been shot again. He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly seeming way too dry.

They needed to get out of there and they needed to get out of there now.

"We need to go." Nathan hoarsely blurted out as he dashed over to Haley's boss's office. He didn't even knock, instead he just swung the door open and grabbed Haley, who squealed in response. He barely took note of her boss giving him a questioning look.

"Nate, what the hell are you doing?" Lucas called after him but Nathan didn't respond.

He grabbed on to Haley's arm, completely ignoring her questioning and her yelps that he was gripping her arm too hard. Later, he would feel guilty and apologize for his tight grip, but right now, he needed to get her out of there. He glanced around for some kind of back exit that would allow them to leave without being seen. A red exit sign caught his eye just through the kitchen. He waved for Lucas and Brooke to follow him as he continued to yank Haley along.

"Nathan, what the hell is going on?" Brooke hissed as she followed him, practically needing to run to catch up with him.

"Nathan, please, you're hurting my arm." Haley begged, her heart racing. Nathan looked as white as a ghost, the expression on his face could only be described as fear. She couldn't recall a time where Nathan Scott ever looked scared. Okay, maybe the night of Jamie's disappearance, but this was a whole other side of fear.

"I'll explain once we're in the car." He gritted out as he weaved them through the kitchen. A few of the waitresses gave him odd looks but he just ignored them. After what seemed like a never ending distance, he reached the exit and pushed it open. His pace didn't slow until they reached his SUV. He hustled everyone into the car. He had barely turned the car on before making an abrupt exit out of the parking lot, the tires squealing against the pavement.

"Okay, we're in the car. What the hell was that?" Haley practically yelled. She took in the way his hands were gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles white. He was definitely going way over the speed limit.

"They were there. They just walked in." Nathan mumbled.

"Who was where?" Lucas asked, his eyebrows furrowed. "You gotta give us more than that."

Nathan took a deep breath, his failed attempt at trying to calm himself down. "The two men that just walked in as were standing there..."

"Steven and Teddy?" Brooke asked, cutting him off. "Those were Haley's regulars."

Nathan's grip on the steering wheel only tightened further at that new knowledge. "Regulars?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah, they came in at least once a week and always requested that I be their waitress. Why do they have you so tweaked?"

Nathan turned his head so that he was looking directly at her. "Those were the guys who kidnapped me. They're working with Ian."


	13. Chapter 13

I know that I don't necessarily have to explain myself to anyone since this is my story and I have free reign to do what I want, but I always feel the need to address why I had things happen the way that they did. I like to give you guys a glimpse into what goes through my mind when I'm writing. Which leads me into the reviewer who said that they wished Haley had Nathan fight for her a little more. To be honest, I was definitely considered making Nathan fight for Haley a little more but I felt like I was already dragging it out too much. I felt like there wasn't much left for Nathan to do. He already told Haley the reason he left and how he knows that it wasn't the best decision. I didn't want it to be this constant back and forth between them. Plus, I felt that they needed to be at some solid level when it came to finding Jamie. Things still aren't perfect between them but they are working towards piecing their family back together.

When I say that this chapter is a filler, I mean it. It's basically a headway into the next chapter which is...intense. Which explains why it's a lot shorter than previous chapters. I thought about including everything into one chapter but I felt like there needed to be kind of a space filler, something to set up what's to come. Hopefully y'all don't find this too boring.

* * *

"What do you mean they're working with Ian?" Haley asked with a hard swallow.

Nathan continued to weave in and out of traffic. He needed to get to the station as fast as he possibly could. "Did they ever touch you? Or, at least, try and touch you?" He ignored her question, his own mind working in over drive.

Haley grimaced at the memories that started to flood her mind. She suddenly felt very dirty. "There were a few inappropriate remarks made and an occasional attempt to touch me but I always passed it off as them being creepy middle-aged men."

Nathan's grip on the steering wheel tightened even further. He glanced back at Lucas and Brooke through the rearview mirror. Lucas looked confused as all hell and Brooke looked perplexed, almost as if she was trying to piece together something in her mind. Returning his gaze back to the road, he continued to question Haley. "Have they ever done anything that seemed a little too personal to you? Like they were trying to get information out of you and wouldn't let up until you told them?"

She sat back and pondered his question for a moment. There was one incident in particular that stood out to her. "My last day at Levy's. They both seemed so angry and they wouldn't stop asking me why I was leaving and where I was going. It got to a point where I was forced to throw them out."

"Nate, you're starting to freak me out. What is this all about?" Brooke spoke up from the backseat.

Nathan swallowed hard, his throat suddenly feeling very scratchy. "There were two guys who tormented me in that basement. They tormented me a lot about…you, Haley. They knew exactly what you looked like and exactly where you worked, at first I thought it was just because Ian had been keeping tabs on you. But, it makes so much more sense now. The two guys who tormented me were the same two guys that just walked into Levy's."

"Look, Steven and Teddy, they're creepy, I'm not gonna deny that. But, are you sure? I don't think they're capable of something so menacing." Brooke said cautiously.

"Dominic and Theo," Nathan corrected, completely ignoring her other claims.

"What?"

"Their names are Dominic and Theo. At least, that's what they said their names were to me," Nathan responded.

"Nathan, are you sure?" Lucas asked.

Nathan could feel the anger start to rise inside of him. He knew what he saw. He knew those two guys were the ones who mocked him and beat him in that basement. There would be no way for him to ever forget their faces. Their faces were permanently etched into his mind, stored for later in the depths of his nightmares.

"I'm positive," He graveled.

"Steven's middle name is Dominic," Haley choked out. "Teddy and Theo…those are both nicknames for the name Theodore, which is Teddy's real name."

A very heavy silence fell over all of them as Nathan continued to drive. His speed had slowed but his grip on the steering wheel remained tight. Haley felt absolutely sick. She felt like her head was spinning, her skin felt like it was crawling, and her stomach was twisting roughly. She felt violated, completely and utterly violated. Steven and Teddy had always given her the creeps but she would have never guess them to be involved with Ian. Ian wanted her, for what she wasn't sure, but he wanted her and the knowledge that she very well could have been taken at any moment didn't sit well with her.

A few minutes later, Nathan pulled into the parking lot of the station. They all filed out of the SUV and headed into the building. Nathan headed straight to his father's makeshift office, not even bothering to knock on the door. Dan only glanced up from his work before returning his eyes to the file he was reading.

"Nathan, I already told you to take the day," Dan growled.

Nathan ignored the demanding sound of Dan's voice and walked forward, his hands smacking down hard against the wooden desk. Dan's head immediately snapped up, his eyebrows furrowing. "I found the people who kidnapped me."

Now, Dan was interested. The intense look on his son's face told him that this wasn't the time to try and assert his authority any further. "Explain."

"I, along with Lucas and Brooke, escorted Haley back to her work. There was some form that she forgot to sign regarding her leave of absence. While we were there, the guys who kept me tied up in that basement walked in. Come to find out, they've been coming to Levy's for a while and every single time they've specifically requested Haley as their waitress," Nathan explained, the edge and urgency clear in his voice.

Dan's lips pressed into a hard line. "Call Clay and Peyton, have them meet us in the conference room in 20."

~x~

For the last hour and half, Haley remained in the same position on Nathan's bed. She was clutching tightly on to a pillow, her wet hair slick against her cheek. The only thing keeping her somewhat calm was the scent of Nathan that swallowed her as she laid in that bed. As soon as she returned to the hotel, she headed straight for the shower. She wasn't sure how long she spent just scrubbing at her skin. It had been a long time since Steven or Teddy had laid hands on her but learning new information about them made her feel as if they had just touched her.

It made her sick to know that two people that she interacted with on pretty much a daily basis were connected to Ian Banks, the man that had taken everything from her. The man that had caused her and Nathan so much pain. The fact that they probably had interactions with Jamie made her even sicker. She didn't want them anywhere near her son. She could feel her heart start to race again, her stomach twisting. God, she needed Nathan.

Nathan had stayed behind at the station to discuss how they were going to bring Steven and Teddy in with Clay, Peyton, and Dan. Even though Lucas and Brooke were just in the other room, she didn't feel safe. She never felt safe if Nathan wasn't around.

Just as she felt herself begin to enter full on panic mode, the bedroom door slowly opened and Nathan appeared from behind it. Haley immediately jumped up from the bed and ran over to him, tossing her arms around his neck. She sighed when she felt his arms circle her waist, holding her to him. All of her worries seem to melt away as she felt his fingers delicately run up and down her back. The smell of his cologne surrounded her and she just buried her head further into his chest.

"Hales," Nathan began softly. It was when he heard her sniffling that he tightened his grip even further. He knew that she was shaken up and even though he had calmed down a little, so was he. So many thoughts were running through his mind and none of them were calming. "You're okay. I've got you."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," Haley mumbled as she backed away just enough so she could look up at him. "I just…Steven and Teddy...I feel so violated."

Nathan rubbed his hands up and down the length of her arms in a soothing manner. "I know, I know but they're in custody now. Clay and Peyton detained them about an hour ago. They can't hurt you now."

"But, they could've," Haley sniffled. "They've been around me for almost two years, they could've taken me or killed me or whatever at any moment. It's just a little unsettling."

Nathan laced their fingers together, giving both of her hands a gentle squeeze. The fear in her eyes caused his stomach to knot up. "Try to not think of the 'what ifs', Haley. They'll drive you crazy, trust me. The important thing here is that nothing ever happened and now, they won't be able to touch you."

Haley's eyes fell closed as she let Nathan's words sink in. When she finally felt her heart beat return to a normal level, she slowly opened them. "How are you holding up? You were just as shaken up as I was, maybe even more."

He sighed as he moved them over to the bed. Taking a seat at the edge of the mattress, he kept her hands encased in his. "I'm better now that I know they're off the streets."

"It must have been hard for you to see them again after everything that happened," She said softly.

"It was," He admitted. "But not for the reasons you think. Yeah, they were brutal to me in that basement but my main concern was you. I could hear their taunting words in my head, their desperation to find you for Ian. They were relentless. I feared that they would see you and then come after you. My main concern was getting you out of there before they could."

She lifted up her hand to palm his cheek. He could see him starting to get worked up again and it only made her heart race. It was easy to see just how desperate he was to keep her safe, to protect her.

"And then when I found out that they were you regulars, I lost it. My head became filled with the same thoughts that you had. All of those damn 'what ifs'," He chuckled dryly. He placed his hand on top of the one that was resting on his cheek. He could feel all of these emotions starting to boil to the surface inside of him. Looking into her eyes, he felt his chest quake at the thought of never being able to look into them again. "I don't know what I would do if anything had ever happened to you."

The raw emotion in his voice had Haley's eyes closing, her breathing ragged. Once she felt more composed, she reopened her eyes and her breath caught in her throat at the intense way Nathan was looking at her. She placed her other hand on the other side of his face before leaning forward to press her lips to his. The kiss was slow but full of emotion.

"I love you," Haley declared after pulling away. "I love you and I'm not going anywhere."

It still made Nathan's heart race to hear her say those words. "I love you," Nathan m mumbled as he kissed her again, his mouth moving slowly against hers. He cupped her cheeks, his thumbs brushing against her soft skin. After a few moments, he pulled away just to kiss her chastely once more. "I'm not going anywhere either, not again."

~x~

"Cut the crap," Peyton sneered at the man sitting in front of her. "We have an eye witness account stating that you are, in fact, involved with Ian banks. By lying, you're just making this a lot harder for yourself."

Teddy just smirked. "By eye witness, I assume you mean Agent Scott?"

Clay sighed as he ran a hand over his face in an agitated manner. They had been going back and forth with both Teddy and Steven for the last two hours. At first, they had them both in the same room but it seemed as if that caused more harm than good. Instead of answering their questions, they both just made smart remarks. Peyton suggested separating them and questioning them one at a time but that was proving to also be a wasted effort.

"Yes, we mean Agent Scott. Now look, you can either talk to us now and maybe we can set up a deal to get you a lesser sentence or you get thrown into a cell with no chance of getting out," Clay said. "The choice is up to you."

Teddy laughed. "I know that there is no such thing as getting a lesser sentence. That's just what you people like to tell vagabonds like me to get us to talk."

Peyton shook her head. "Not always the case. Cooperation stands strong in a court of law."

"Bring in that little hot waitress from Levy's, I'll talk to her," Teddy purred with a cocked eyebrow.

Clay could feel himself slowly losing his patience. Teddy had to be the most infuriating person that he had ever interrogated and he had met some real winners in his years as an agent. He glanced over at Peyton and noticed that she, too, was at her wits end. They shared a glance before getting up from their chairs and exiting the interrogation room.

"We need new tactics," Clay let out a breath of frustrated air.

"I don't know what else to try. We've tried reasoning, imitation, and reverse psychology. I'm out of ideas. I think we need to just toss them in a cell," Peyton sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Clay shook his head vigorously. "No, we aren't giving up that easily. We can't do that."

Peyton nodded. "I know."

Clay looked back at Teddy through the view window and felt the anger swell up inside of him at the smug expression on his face. Never had a suspect made him feel this angry before, but then again, never had a case been this personal before. Nathan had filled them both in on every single thing that Steven and Teddy had taunted him with. There was no mistaking that they were involved with Ian and knew where Jamie was.

All Clay could see was that picture of Jamie that he and Peyton had come across while searching for Nathan. His blue eyes so full of life and so innocent. His smile so joyous and childlike. That little boy deserved to be with his parents and his parents deserved to have that perfect life with him. The entire Scott family deserved to be happy.

For the longest time, Clay knew something was missing in Nathan. When they first met, Clay immediately noticed that Nathan was…broken and empty. He rarely smiled and when he did, it was emotionless and forced. He was always on edge. The littlest things would set him off. He was, also, obsessed with his work. Clay wasn't even sure Nathan slept at all these last few years. But, the thing that stood out the most to him was how dull Nathan's eyes always were. There was no life, no excitement…just emptiness.

It wasn't until Haley came around that Clay saw the shift in Nathan. He would be the first to admit that he was a little skeptical when Nathan said he was married. It seemed way too bizarre, impossible even. It seemed impossible to keep something like that hidden for such an extended period of time. But then Clay saw the look in Nathan's eye as soon as they brought Haley in and he was no longer skeptical. His eyes lit up, his smile was no longer somber…he looked almost complete.

Haley was the same way, Clay quickly noticed. Despite the differences and angst that was between the two spouses, he could see the way her eyes held so much life whenever she looked at Nathan and the way her smile was so full of emotion. She looked almost complete. They almost completed each other but there was still a sliver of something missing. And that something was Jamie Scott.

"What if we just skip past all the questions about Ian and go straight for the kill?" Clay asked, breaking the intense silence that had formed between them.

Peyton furrowed her eyebrows while crossing her arms over her chest. "You want to just start questioning them about Jamie?"

Clay nodded. "They aren't going to give up anything about Ian. It's clear that they're protecting him, for what reason, I don't know. But maybe, just maybe, we could get them to reveal something, anything. Every little bit helps at this point."

"If they didn't give up anything about Ian, what makes you think they'll squeal about Jamie? From what I can tell, Jamie is the heart of this whole operation. If they were going to give up anything, it would be things about Ian not Jamie," Peyton reasoned. She wasn't trying to be cynical but sometimes, she couldn't help it.

"It wouldn't hurt to try."

After a moment, Peyton agreed. They headed back into the interrogation room. Teddy was still wearing the same cocky smirk, the same smirk that Peyton wanted to slap right off his face. They both slide back into the metal chairs, their facial expressions screaming determination.

"Alright, Teddy, since you want to protect your precious Ian, why don't we talk about something else?" Peyton suggest, clasping her hands together to rest on the table.

Teddy shifted in his seat, sitting forward to rest his elbows on the table. "Okay, sweetheart, what do you want to talk about?"

"Jamie Scott."

Teddy's smirk seemed to get even more menacing, if that was possible. "Ah, Nate's boy."

"I take it you've have many interactions with Jamie," Clay stated, narrowing his eyes.

"I've babysat him from time to time. Cute kid," Teddy added in nonchalantly. "Really likes baseball and basketball. He's pretty smart from what I hear."

"So, he's still alive?" Peyton questioned. She knew the answer but sometimes it was better to act oblivious.

Teddy nodded. "Ian wouldn't kill Jamie. That's not part of his plan."

"And what is part of his plan?" Clay prodded.

Teddy smiled. It wasn't genuine. It wasn't joyful. It was evil and taunting. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Why are you even helping Ian out? What has he ever done that has made you want to help him with such a daunting plan?" Peyton interrogated, leaning further over the table.

Teddy shrugged. "He promised to do something for me if I did something for him. Friends help each other out like that."

"What did he promise you?" Peyton asked cautiously.

"That's none of your business," Teddy's voice took on a hard edge, the taunting tone shifting to anger.

Clay and Peyton exchanged glances. Apparently they had hit a nerve.

"Must be something huge," Clay taunted. "It's too bad that you'll be in jail and Ian won't be able to help you anymore."

"He'll help me. He owes me," Teddy grumbled.

"Really?" Peyton purred. "You really think he's going to want to help you when you're locked up in jail? You're no longer his obligation. Have you ever thought that maybe that was a part of his plan? He had you, very poorly, kidnap an FBI agent. It was almost as if Ian wanted you to get caught. That why he wouldn't have to repay you."

Teddy shook his head. "No. He wouldn't do that."

Clay opened his mouth to respond when a loud knock could be heard. He looked up just in time to see Mouth peeking his head in, waving Clay over. He gave Peyton the go ahead to continue questioning Teddy as got up from his chair. He met with Mouth in the hallway, who was practically bouncing on his heels.

"Mouth, this better be important. We just reached a breakthrough," Clay muttered in a harsh whisper.

"And I'm about to strengthen that breakthrough," Mouth said excitedly. "Teddy is helping Ian because Ian promised to get him full custody of his daughter."

"He has a daughter?" Clay gasped with raised eyebrows.

Mouth nodded. "He was married for a while but then discovered that his wife was having an ongoing affair with his brother. They had a four year old daughter at the time of the divorce. His wife was able to prove that Teddy was an unfit parent in court and she was granted full custody. Apparently, she's been in and out of rehab for a drug addiction. Ian promised to hire a hitman to take out Teddy's ex-wife and current husband if Teddy helped him."

Clay was sure his jaw was slacked in shock. "How did you find all of this out?"

"Intelligence was able to recover a laptop in Teddy's apartment and I was able to hack into it. I discovered some interesting emails between Ian and Teddy," Mouth explained

"Can you look up Teddy's ex-wife and see if the drug accusations are true?"

Mouth smiled. "I knew you were going to ask that so I took the liberty of already conducting that search. It's true, she's been in three different drug rehabilitation facilities over the last two years. There's even been a few abuse cases filed against her husband in regards to the daughter."

"This is great," Clay beamed. "Were you able to find anything else?"

Mouth shook his head. "Unfortunately, that was the only viable thing that I found."

"What was his daughter's name?"

"Elizabeth Harper."

"Thanks, Mouth," Clay said with a smile before darting back into the interrogation room. It looked like Peyton hadn't gotten much more out of Teddy. He was just glowering at her and she was practically pulling her hair out. With a sick smile, Clay took a seat. "Tell me about Elizabeth Harper."

At the mention of that name, Teddy visibly stiffened. His lips pressed into a hard line, his eyes narrowing into a stiff glare. "How do you know about her?"

"I have my ways," Clay said. "Ian promised to get you full custody of your daughter if you helped him, is that right?"

Peyton's head snapped up at the mention of Teddy's daughter. Clay just gave her a look with twinkling eyes.

Teddy slowly nodded.

"Has Ian made good on that promise yet?"

"No. He said he was still working on it."

A slow smirk spread across Clay's face. "What if I told you that I could get you what you want right now?"

"And how would you manage that?"

Clay shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant way. "Very easily. It appears that your ex-wife has some drug charges against her and her husband has a few domestic violence charges against him. A few calls to the family courts and I can get you temporary custody until a trial has been set."

Teddy's gaze softened at his words and an obvious look of hope crossed his features. His daughter was clearly his soft spot. "Are you serious?"

Clay nodded. "As a heart attack. However, this comes with a price."

His expression hardened once more. "What is it?"

"You tell us everything you know about Jamie Scott."

Teddy remained silent for a few moments, mulling over what Clay had just told him. "Fine."

~x~

Nathan's fingers were dancing delicately across the skin of Haley's bare arm. Haley was curled tightly into his side with her head resting on his chest and her arm tossed across his lower stomach. The only sound that could be heard was Haley's steady breathing, accompanied with the occasional snore. After their emotional talk, Haley had asked Nathan to just hold her and he had no problem granting her wish.

He had tried to follow in her footsteps and take a nap as well, but he just couldn't shut his mind off. He was constantly wondering what kind of luck Clay and Peyton were having with Steven and Teddy. They told him they would call when they had news and so far he hadn't heard anything. It was starting to make him nervous. Nathan so badly wished that he could have been the one to interrogate them. He sure had some choice words he could have said but his dad held him back. Dan explained that because he was a victim of their tactics, it was against policy for Nathan to have any part in that part of the investigation. Nathan understood but that didn't mean he liked it.

Another reason he couldn't sleep was because he just wanted to watch Haley. She looked so peaceful in that moment. The worry lines on her forehead were no longer visible. The dark circles under her eyes seemed to be melting away with every minute of sleep she received. He couldn't believe that she was laying in his arms right now. Everything about seeing her again and being around her again still felt so surreal. It was something that he dreamed about every night since he left. It was what kept him sane.

Leaning down, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. He smiled when a small whimper escaped her lips as she dug her head further into his chest. He watched as she tilted her head up, her eyes fluttering open. She smiled lazily at him.

"What time is it?" Haley asked, her voice still coated with sleep.

"A little past eight."

She nodded, bringing one of her hands up to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Have you heard anything yet?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, not yet. The station closes at nine so we should hear something soon."

"Are you nervous? Because I am," Haley muttered quietly as she laid her head back down on his chest. Her fingers began tracing small designs on his clothed chest. When she was nervous, her fingers would constantly be moving. It was a nervous habit of hers.

"I'm terrified," He admitted. "But, I'm also hopeful. We're one step closer to getting our family back, Hales."

She smiled at that. "Your hope gives me hope."

"Do you want to know a secret?"

"Of course."

"This is the first time in a long time I've felt hope," He said quietly. "I've come up on so many dead ends over the years that I just lost all faith. But now, I can feel it. I can feel it all through my body. This time is different."

"Yeah, I feel it too," Haley murmured as she sat up.

"Nate, Haley, we need you in the living room. Now!" Dan's loud voice echoed through the closed bedroom door. They both jumped in surprise. The urgency in his voice had butterflies forming in both their stomachs. Quickly, they scooted out of bed and walked into the living room. Clay and Peyton were perched on the couch. The look on their faces only served to make their stomachs knot even further.

"First things first, Nathan, I'm putting you on personal leave," Dan announced as soon as he noticed the couple walk into the room. He wasn't wasting anytime.

"What? Dad-"

Dan shook his head. "That is a final decision, Nathan. You knew that once this case got too personal, this was going to happen. Well, we've reached that point. You have a family to worry about. You let the rest of us take care of Ian, understood?"

Nathan wanted to argue but who knew Dan wouldn't budge. He was firm on this so Nathan agreed. "Understood."

"Good, now, we have some news for the both of you," Dan said, turning his attention over to Clay and Peyton.

Haley felt her heart hammer in her chest as Peyton stood up from the couch. Since Haley had met Peyton, she'd been very cynical and very narrow. She followed the rules and didn't showcase much emotion. But from where Haley was standing, she could see tears shining in her eyes and she didn't know what to make of it. Nathan seemed to feel the same way as she felt him tense beside her.

"We were able to get Teddy to talk," Peyton began. "He told us where Jamie is."

Haley felt her knees buckle and Nathan's arm immediately wrapped around her waist to steady her. "W-where is he?"

Peyton smiled at her, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. "Ian has him staying at a hotel with his sister about ten miles outside of Tree Hill. They moved there after Nathan was kidnapped. But, that's not all he told us."

Nathan swallowed hard. He could feel Haley trembling next to him and he was sure he was shaking as well. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. "What else?"

It was Clay who spoke up next. "Ian's sister leaves Jamie alone in the hotel for about a half hour every Thursday at 3. Her boyfriend, Owen, is overseas right now and that's the only time he can call her. Since it's an international call, she has to use a specific phone in the hotel. That's our in. We already talked to the rest of the team and we're all set to go on Thursday."

In that moment, Haley felt a rush of emotion come over her. The tears starting streaming down her face before she could really register what was going on. She felt Nathan's arms wrap around her and she immediately buried her head into his chest. She clung on to him like her life depended on it. The sobs came out in loud gasps but she couldn't find the means to be embarrassed. In that moment, she felt lighter…happier.

Nathan held Haley close as his own tears streamed down his face. His grip on his wife was tight as he relished in the news that they had just heard. It all felt like a dream, a dream that he never wanted to wake up from. This constant weight that he had carried on his shoulders melted away completely and for the first time in a long time, he felt one hundred percent happy.

Haley looked up at Nathan as his hands cupped her cheeks. They were both smiling, tears of happiness falling effortlessly down their faces. She stood up and pressed a passionate kiss to his lips. "We're getting our son back."

He smiled back at her, a heartfelt laugh leaving his lips. "We're getting out son back." He pulled her back to him, sealing his lips over hers in a promising kiss.


	14. Chapter 14

Two important things:

1) Quinn is not Haley's sister in this story. I thought about keeping them as sisters to stay more true to the show but I felt like that would have created a lot more confusion and a lot of unnecessary riffs. For example, I would have to come up with a whole explanation as to why Haley and Clay never crossed paths before since Clay is married to Quinn or an explanation as to why Haley didn't find out about the case sooner, etc. I feel like adding those things in would have just created unnecessary pieces to the plot. So, for the sake of this story, they aren't sisters.

2) The things that are said in the conversation between Quinn, Nathan, and Haley are all actual representations of what happens when a child is abducted. I did a lot of research around what happens when a child has been abducted at such a young age and things like that. I could have made it all up but I had no idea how I was going to portray something of that magnitude in a realistic manner. I did shift some things around a little just for the sake of the story, but for the most part, it is all protocol.

Also, missmelsie- no, I haven't not been interrogated by the FBI at any point in my life, haha. I do, however, watch way too many crime shows, which is exactly how this story came about. A lot of the FBI stuff stems from things that I've seen on those shows. Are those shows 100% accurate? No, probably not, but I'm glad that it comes off as realistic.

* * *

'It was Wednesday afternoon. Nathan and Haley were sitting in an interrogation room, waiting on the team's child psychologist to be done with her meeting with Dan. He had flown her in from New York the previous night. Her name was Quinn Evans and she was also Clay's wife. Nathan had only met her briefly a few times and as far as he knew, she was damn good at her job. That knowledge had somewhat calmed the raging storm of nerves that had made itself known inside of his body.

He and Haley both were feeling so many different emotions at once, it was almost enough to paralyze the both of them. Fear, anxiety, hope, happiness, sadness…it was all so overwhelming. The last couple of days seemed to pass by them in such a blur. Clay, Peyton, Dan, and the rest of the team had been busy trying to perfect their plan to sneak into the hotel and get Jamie back. They covered every scenario, coming up with backup plan after backup plan just in case something went wrong. Lucas and Brooke had been brought up to speed with everything and even had their own tasks in the plan.

The fact that Nathan wasn't involved in the operation was starting to drive him absolutely crazy. He couldn't stand the fact that he had to leave all of this in the hands of other people. Of course, he trusted his team but he still didn't like sitting on the sidelines, especially when it involved his son. He understood why he was put on personal leave, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Haley squeezed Nathan's hand when she saw the concentrated look on his face. He was deep in thought and she knew that if she didn't distract him now, he would eventually drive himself crazy. She knew this because, well, she was the exact same way. They had made a pact that whenever one of them get too lost in their thoughts, it was the other's job to bring them out. Thinking too much meant conjuring up all of the things that could go wrong in the next twenty four hours. That's not what they needed right now. Right now, they needed to hold on to their hope.

When he felt Haley squeeze his hand, Nathan looked over at her. She was giving him a comforting smile and immediately felt the stress leave his body. It still blew him away at just how in sync they were with each other. He brought their joined hands up to his mouth and brushed his lips against the back of her hand in a gentle kiss.

Haley scooted her chair closer to Nathan's and reached up to place a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Nathan responded, his heart hammering in his chest. He was never going to get tired of hearing that.

There was a soft knock on the door that caused them both to break apart. The door pushed open to reveal a woman with dirty blonde hair. It fell just below her shoulders in soft curls. Her striking blue eyes held nothing but warmth and friendliness, along with the small smile that was on her face. She was dressed professionally in a dark grey suit. Nathan instantly recognized her as Quinn.

"Nate, it's good to see you again," Quinn said. "I take it that you've been taking good care of my husband while he's been in Tree Hill?"

Nathan cracked a smile. "More like he's been taking good care of me."

Quinn allowed a short giggle before turning her attention to Haley. "You must be Haley Scott, I'm Quinn Evans," She extended her hand, which Haley gracefully accepted. "It's really nice to meet you, although, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

Haley grinned sadly. "Likewise."

Quinn returned the smile before taking a seat in the chair across from them. She placed a notebook and few files in front of her. "As you both know, I am the head of the child psychology department within the BAU. I am going to walk you through everything that will have to happen once Jamie is back in your custody, along with answering any of the questions that you most likely have."

Nathan and Haley just nodded.

"Okay, Dan had filled me in on everything and I've looked over both of your files, along with the file they have on your son, Jamie. But, I do have a few questions. The more I know about you both and Jamie, the easier it's going to be to create a recovery plan. He was only one when he was abducted, correct?" Quinn clarified.

Haley nodded. "He was about 15 months old, yes." She felt her chest tighten at the word "abducted." That pain would never go away. Nathan must have noticed her discomfort because he gave her hand a comforting squeeze.

Quinn quickly jotted a few things down in her notebook. "Can you describe the relationship you both had with him? Was one of you more involved than the other?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, I would say we both spent equal time with him. We took turned feeding him, changing him, putting him to bed…all of that stuff. I wasn't working at the time and Haley was student teaching, so she wasn't at work that much either. In fact, majority of the time, it was all three of us together. "

Quinn didn't miss the confused expression that marred both of their faces. "I only ask that question because when it comes time to take the step to ease Jamie back into your family, it might make it easier on him if we started with the parent he spent the most time with."

"What exactly is the first step to all of this?" Haley asked.

"The first thing that needs to be done once Jamie is back in your custody and after he has been seen by a doctor is he needs to be evaluated, emotionally. That's the only way we're going to be able to tell just how much emotional damage he has suffered. Once he's been evaluated, we will begin the necessary steps to help him. That evaluation is what will help us further formulate his recovery plan," Quinn explained dutifully.

"What's going to happen with us? Are we going to be allowed to see him before he has to go through all of this evaluation?" Nathan asked next.

"We would never keep you from your son," Quinn promised. "However, you must prepare yourself for Jamie being standoffish and untrusting of you. He might back away from you or not allow you to touch him. That is completely normal."

Nathan felt his heart ache at her answer. He knew that Jamie wasn't going to jump right into his arms once they were reunited, but it still hurt to hear that. "Is there any chance that we can become a normal family again, at some point?"

Quinn could see the fear and the heart ache in both of their eyes and it broke her own heart. She had been doing this job for years and has seen that look in many people's eyes, but it never failed to shake something inside of her. "I can't give you a definite answer but I can tell you that I have seen families reunite with children who have been gone even longer than Jamie has and with the proper care, they've made full recoveries."

"I bet none of those children in those families have been abducted at such a young age, though," Haley mumbled bitterly.

"I'll be honest, Jamie being taken at such a young age does make things as little more difficult," Quinn admitted. "He has gone through a lot of development without you around. However, babies start to recognize and connect with their parents at eight months old. That type of recognition doesn't go away, even through his development stages. Jamie might recognize you as his parents, but there won't be an emotional connection."

Haley swallowed hard. This was so difficult to hear. "What can we do about that emotional connection? Is there anything that we can do?"

Quinn nodded. "Yes, there is quite a lot that you can do, but I have to warn you, this is going to be a slow and emotional draining process. There is no way of knowing how long it is going to take for Jamie to warm up to you. It could be a few days or a few months. It's different for every child."

"We can handle it," Nathan declared.

"The important thing to remember is to be patient and to not overwhelm him. We would recommend that he stay in one of our facilities for a little while," Quinn stated carefully. "That's the part that parents hate most about this. We only do this because we want the child to feel comfortable. We want to ease them into this transition. While he's staying in one of our facilities, we will have joint therapy sessions with him. It'll give you both a chance to speak with him, to bond over things, to get to know one another. It might help to bring in photos or memorabilia from your time with him. Subconsciously, he might remember those moments or those items. We'll have to start slow. We'll start with fifteen minute sessions and work our way up to hour long sessions.

"What about after the sessions are over?" Haley questioned. She didn't like the fact that Jamie would have to stay in a facility. She just wanted to be able to take him and work towards getting things back to normal. What normal was, she wasn't sure.

"Once he has made a sufficient enough of progress and once he feels comfortable enough, we'll release him to you. Depending on his progress, he might have to attend a few more sessions. I don't want to overwhelm you with information, so once we reach that stage, we'll discuss it more," Quinn explained with a comforting smile.

"Okay, thank you," Nathan mumbled tiredly. He suddenly felt absolutely drained.

Quinn saw the anguish they were going through. The constantly changing emotions dancing in their eyes. "Look, I know that this is a lot to take in. Six years is a long time for a child to be away from his parents. But, I can assure that I, along with the rest of the team, will do everything in our power to help repair your family. It's not impossible, but it's not going to be easy either. It's going to take a lot."

"We're willing to do whatever it takes," Haley insisted.

~x~

The sound Nathan's steady heartbeat combined with the feel of his fingers brushing against the skin on her arm was quickly causing the tension to dissipate from Haley's body. She was emotionally drained from the day they had but she couldn't help but feel some kind of peace. Talking with Quinn about Jamie made this whole thing so much more real. She was still terrified out of her mind and hearing that it might take a while for Jamie to warm up to them broke her heart but she was excited. There was finally some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. Twenty four hours from now, she and Nathan could be in presence of their son again for the first time in six years.

"What are you thinking about?" Haley asked, breaking the silence.

"The first thing we're going to do as a family once things become more stable," Nathan answered quietly.

Haley began to drum her fingers against his bare chest, a small smile gracing her lips. "And what would that be?"

Nathan took in a breath before slowly letting it out. The feel of Haley's fingers dancing across his chest had goosebumps rising on his skin. "I have this perfect picture in mind of us at the park. It's a beautiful day out- the sun is shining and the sky is clear. You're wearing this little sun dress. You know, that blue and white striped one that you would always wear on the first day of spring. Do you remember that dress?"

Haley's smile only widened. "Of course I do."

"You look amazing in that dress," Nathan said lowly. Without having to see her face, he knew she was blushing. "Anyway, I can see us pushing Jamie on the swing or maybe down the slide. He's laughing and smiling, his eyes twinkling."

"That sounds nice," Haley cooed as she snuggled herself more into Nathan's chest. "It sounds perfect, actually."

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" Nathan murmured.

Haley titled her head up so that she could look at Nathan properly. "There's something I want to show you." She sat up and began to reach over Nathan to grab her cell phone that was sitting on the bedside table.

Nathan watched as she reached over him to grab her phone but something glinting in the moonlight caught his attention. The cross she always wore around her neck fell out from underneath her shirt but it wasn't the cross that his eyes were drawn to. There was something else strung on to the gold chain and he felt a lump form in his throat at the sight of it. Without thinking, he reached up to finger the object that had caught his eye.

As soon as his fingers touched it, his suspicions were confirmed. Her wedding ring.

Haley froze above him as soon as his fingers touched the cool metal. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest and his mind became hazy. How long had she had that around her neck? Why hadn't he noticed it before? He couldn't explain the feelings that were coursing through him at that moment. It was like he couldn't breathe but in the most euphoric ways.

"Hales," He began hoarsely. "That's your wedding ring."

Haley thought for sure that her heart was going to beat out of her chest. She swallowed hard as she slowly returned to her position next to Nathan, this time on her knees. She hadn't forgotten that her ring was still hanging around her neck, but she hadn't expected Nathan to see it. His fingers were still toying with her ring. The intense look in his face caused a shiver to run down her spine.

"Yeah, it is," She confirmed softly.

As soon as he looked up and their eyes met, Haley's breath hitched in her throat. In the depths of his blue eyes, she saw a world wind of emotions swirling around. Love, need, desire, awe, shock…it was completely overwhelming. His smoldering gaze caused shiver after shiver to run through her body but she couldn't look away.

Nathan wasn't sure why seeing her ring around her neck had caused such a reaction in him. He already knew that she still loved him, she had made sure to tell him that any chance she got. But this was…this was symbolic. This was physical and tangible proof that despite everything he had put her through, she still held on to their love.

"How long have you been wearing it?" He asked, his voice still hoarse.

She brought her hand up to cover the hand that was touching her ring. "Since the night I found out you were missing," She whispered. "I kind of found your ring that night, along with a few pictures. And that's when I realized, for the first time, that you hadn't been making any of your decisions for yourself. You were doing everything for me all along. For your family."

"Haley," Nathan began but Haley shook her head to signal that she wasn't done yet.

"That night, I wasn't ready to let you fully back into my heart yet but for the first time, I wanted to be. Deep down, I always knew that I was still in love with you but I buried it under all of my hurt and all of my anger. It was then that I allowed myself to feel that love again. So, I dug out my ring and strung it along my necklace. I wanted it to be a reminder that no matter what happened, I loved you and that was worth fighting for," Haley revealed, her fingers prying his away from her ring. She laced them together, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

It was then that Nathan decided he couldn't take it anymore. With his free hand, he cupped Haley's cheek and leaned forward to press his lips against hers in a passionate kiss. She met him with the same amount of passion as her lips moved feverishly over his. Her fingers knotted themselves in his thick hair as his hands fell to her waist. Gently, Nathan shifted them so Haley was now lying flat on her back and he was hovering over her.

He was quickly getting lost in the feel of her, just like he had so many times before. His heart was pounding in his chest and goosebumps were forming on his skin as her hands ghosted the length of his bare back. There was something so different about what was transpiring between them. He could feel it in the way their lips molded together in gentle and slow caresses. They had…sex when things were still rocky and they had kissed quite a few times since becoming "them" again, but this just felt different. He couldn't describe what different meant, he just knew it was a good different.

A good different that was starting to make him dizzy with need.

Haley bit down hard on her bottom lip to suppress a moan when Nathan tore his lips from hers and began to press open mouth kisses along the length of her neck. Her fingers found their way back into his hair, her blunt nails scratching against his scalp. A smirk spread across her face when Nathan shivered above her, involuntarily pressing his body further into hers. That smirk was quickly wiped away when Nathan's lips latch on to her pulse point, causing a series of moans to fall from her lips.

God, she felt like she could just die from what he was doing to her. It had been so long since she's felt him kiss her and touch her like he was. His fingers were dancing across the exposed skin of her stomach, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. She could feel her body quickly heating up, a familiar desire starting to flow through her veins.

"You taste so good," Nathan murmured against her skin, his lips now brushing against her collarbone.

A shiver ran down her spine at the husky tone in his voice. She was acutely aware of his arousal pressing into her just so, making her body heat up even more. Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt one of his hands snake underneath the material of tank-top, massaging the flat planes of her stomach. One of her hands dropped from its grip in his hair and fell to his chest. She rested it over his heart and immediately felt the fast pitter-patter of his heartbeat against the palm of her hand. That was all she needed to know exactly what she wanted, what she needed…what she craved.

"Nathan," Haley called out breathlessly.

He paused at the sound of her voice. The reality of what seemed to be happening quickly set in and he inwardly groaned. They had promised to take things slow and as hard as it was going to be, he knew that he needed to stop. Removing his hand from underneath her shirt, he took a deep breath before meeting her gaze.

His heart actually stopped beating at the sight of her. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and her bottom lip was wedged between her teeth. Swirling around in her brown eyes was an intense amount of desire and lust. He had seen that look before. It was the same look she used to give him time and time again before they made love during the early years of their marriage. Nathan was sure he would never have the privilege of seeing _that_ look again.

"Nathan," She repeated. "Make love to me."

Nathan felt his mouth go dry at her words. "Hales," He choked out. "Are you sure? We said we were going to take things slow and I'm completely okay with that. I wasn't pressuring you was I? I didn't mean to if I was." He was talking a mile a minute. Since when did his wife wanting him to make love to her turn him into a babbling fool?

Since they hadn't properly made love in six years, a voice in his head reminded him.

Haley giggled at his babbling. She began to play with the hairs at the nape of his neck, hoping that, that smoothing gesture would relax him. "I'm positive, Nathan. I want this…I want you," She declared. And she did…more than anything. A low fire had been flickering in the pit of her stomach since the moment he kissed her. The only thing she cared about in that moment was being with her husband again. It felt right and she wasn't going to fight against it.

Nathan searched her eyes for even the slightest hint of uncertainty. He found nothing but trust, love, and an undeniable amount of lust. He snapped, bowing his head to kiss her fervently. His hands returned to caressing the skin of her stomach, pushing her tank-top further up her body. He pulled away from her lips just enough to pull her tank top off of her body.

"God, you're so beautiful," Nathan breathed as his eyes raked over the new exposed skin of her stomach and chest. She was easily to most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Every single inch of her was perfect. He felt himself grow even harder at the dusty pink blush that now covered her upper chest and cheeks.

The butterflies in Haley's stomach were the size of moths. Her insides felt like they were burning from the way Nathan was looking at her. She tossed her head back, a moan slipping from her lips when Nathan began to attack her upper chest with his mouth. It seemed like he still remembered just where to kiss and where to suck to drive her absolutely crazy. She could feel the pleasure quickly building as his tongue wrapped around her nipple. Her back arched off of the bed, his name falling from her lips in breathless pants. She about lost her damn mind when his thumb and forefinger started to pinch the neglected nipple.

She was hot, so Goddamn hot, and he had barely done anything to her. She blamed it on the fact that it had been so long since they had been in this position. Her body was finally getting a dose of something it was deprived of for so long. Every part of her body was overly sensitive. Even the slightest of touches were making her wet with need. The ache between her legs was becoming unbearable and she couldn't take it anymore. She just needed him and she needed him now.

"Nathan, please," She moaned, her hands gripping the bedsheet tightly.

"What do you want, baby?" He murmured against her skin.

"You," She breathed. "I need you."

Nathan kissed his way back up to her lips, pressing his forehead against hers. "You already have me."

Haley lifted her legs to wrap around his waist, pressing their bodies further together. They both gasped at the contact of their lower bodies and bare chests molding together. The skin on skin contact was driving them both insane, setting off tiny sparks in their veins. Their skin was already slick with a thin layer of sweat.

"I need you inside of me," She clarified in a heady voice.

Nathan's eyes snapped shut and he groaned at her words. He felt himself twitch in response. Deciding not to delay the inevitable any longer, he quickly discarded her sleep shorts and his boxers before returning to his position back on top of her. Sealing her lips in a passionate kiss, he laced their fingers together and pinned her hands on either side of her head. Slowly, he pushed himself inside of her and his eyes practically crossed at the sensation. There was absolutely nothing that felt better than being with Haley like this.

"Oh, God, Nathan," Haley cried out as she tore her lips away from his. "You feel so good."

"So do you," Nathan husked as he began to move inside of her. "I forgot just how tight you are."

Haley just whimpered in response.

It didn't take long for them to find a natural and slow rhythm, Haley's hips rising to meet Nathan's thrusts. Nathan kept his forehead pressed against Haley's, their lips only centimeters apart. Their moans could be heard echoing through the room and neither seemed to care about the other people occupying the hotel room. The only thing that mattered was them.

Haley could already feel the end nearing for her, the coil in her belly tightening with every passing second. He felt so good. The feel of him moving inside of her, his slick skin gliding against hers…it all felt mind-numbingly good. It had to be a sin to be feeling this much pleasure. Nathan was the only person who could invoke these kinds of feelings inside of her, she was sure of it. She never felt closer to Nathan than she did in that moment. Not only were their bodies reconnecting, but so were their hearts. She knew it was cliché to say, but she swore she fell in love with him all over again in that moment.

"I love you," Haley whispered against his lips.

Nathan's heart soared as he inadvertently sped up his thrusts. He was convinced that hearing that would never seem real. "Say that again."

"I love you," She repeated, her voice sounding more strained as the pleasure became almost unbearable.

Nathan knew he wasn't going to last much longer. The sound of her moans and the way she felt around him was quickly pushing him closer and closer to the edge. He upped his pace a little more, tilting his hips slightly. He was rewarded with Haley tossing her head back, a series of expletives falling from her lips.

"Come on, baby," Nathan cooed. "I can feel that you're there."

"Oh, fuck."

It was few moments later that Haley felt that coil in her belly snap as everything seemed to cut to white noise. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her body as she moaned Nathan's name. It wasn't long after that, that she felt Nathan still his movements, her name falling from his lips in a husky whisper. Nathan collapsed on top of Haley, his head falling into the crook of her neck. Their bodies were completely covered in sweat, but neither seemed to care. They were both breathing heavily, their bodies still buzzing with pleasure. After a few moments, Nathan rolled off of Haley and she wasted no time cuddling up next to him.

Haley could barely keep her eyes open. Her body seemed to be still recovering and she just craved a good night of sleep, something that she hadn't had in a while. But she had a feeling tonight was going to be an acceptance. She pressed a soft kiss to the center of Nathan's chest before closing her eyes. The last thing she heard before falling into a peaceful sleep was:

"I love you, Haley James."

~x~

"You ready for this?" Clay asked, taking a seat across from a visibly nervous-looking Nathan and Haley. He was already dressed in his FBI vest and his gun was already strapped to his waist.

"Honestly? Not at all," Nathan admitted. Haley nodded her head in agreement.

"You guys have to have a little faith in us," Clay tried to lighten the mood but even he knew it was futile. The anxiety in that van was palpable. Every agent was on edge.

"It's not you guys I'm worried about," Nathan muttered. "This is the closest we've gotten to Jamie in the past six years. So far, things have been working out in our favor and I'm just waiting for something to go wrong. It's inevitable."

Haley rubbed Nathan's arm in soothing manner. She could feel just how tense his body was and it made her already high anxiety spike even higher. It didn't help matters that they were cramped in van with about six other FBI agents. She already hated small spaces and having so many people in one place wasn't helping matters. They were playing the waiting game now, or at least that's what Clay called it. The van was parked discreetly outside of the hotel that Heather was staying at. Lucas and Brooke had gone in about twenty minutes ago. They were posing as a couple who was looking to book a room for the night. It was their job to alert the rest of the team when they spotted Heather leave the hotel.

"Nate, you can't think like that," Clay said with a sigh.

"I know, but it's not like I can help it. This all seems too…easy," Nathan said, his eyes adverting from Clay's face to the ground.

Clay shook his head dismissively. "Stop it. You're going to drive yourself crazy. This entire team knows how much this means and we have spent the last seventy-two hours perfecting this plan. We are prepared for even the most absurd things that could go wrong."

Nathan sighed, running his hands down his face in an agitated manner. "I just wish I could go in there with you guys."

"See! You don't have faith in us!"

Nathan shook his head. "It's not that. I just hate sitting out. I feel so helpless. That's my son in there and I'm forced to just sit here. That is what is going to drive me crazy."

"I know-"

"Suspect has been spotted," Dan's voice came over the speaker in the van. "She has been seen exiting the hotel from door two. Assume positions."

"I guess that's my cue," Clay muttered as he slid out of his seat and followed the rest of the agents filing out of the van hastily.

Nathan placed his arm around a trembling Haley and pulled her tight against his chest. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, his eyes snapping shut when he heard her sniffling. He felt his own set of tears prick at the back of his eyes. His grip on Haley tightened when her sniffling turned into full on sobs. Her one hand clutched tightly on to his black t-shirt, twisting the fabric between her fingers. It was like she just needed something to hang on to.

"Haley, baby," Nathan said softly. "Just breathe. You have to breathe."

Haley wasn't sure what had come over her. All of these different emotions seemed to appear out of nowhere and she couldn't handle it. None of this felt real. Sitting in that van with all of those agents and to then hear Dan's voice tell them to get ready…it was such an out of body experience.

"I'm t-trying," Haley choked out. "Oh, God, N-Nathan, I can't." Her chest was heaving and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her throat was closing up. It was like she couldn't think, she couldn't move…she couldn't do anything. Her whole entire body was shaking and the tears just wouldn't stop.

She was having a panic attack.

Nathan felt his own chest tighten at the sight of her. Her desperate gasps and sobs felt like a bullet in his heart. Quickly, he shifted their position so that he was facing her. Cupping her cheeks, he forced her to look at him. He swallowed hard at the sight of her red and swollen eyes, the same eyes that wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Hales, look at me," He said sternly.

After a slight hesitation, she followed his instruction.

"Good," Nathan gave her a soft smile. "Now do what I do, okay? Take a deep breath in, hold it for a few seconds, and then let it out slowly." He took in a deep breath and felt a sense of relief when he saw her mimic his actions. After holding it for a few seconds, he slowly let it out. Haley followed his lead closely. He repeated this cycle a few times until Haley started to calm down.

Finally, Haley felt like she could breathe. Tears were still streaming down her face but she felt a lot calmer than she did moments before. "I love you," She muttered as she curled back into Nathan's side.

Nathan wrapped her tightly into his arms. "I love you."

~x~

Peyton had her back pressed against the wall next to the door of the hotel room Jamie was supposedly in. Her gun was tightly clutched into her hands as she held it up in front of her. She gave Clay a quick nod, the go-ahead to unlock the door.

Clay reached into his pocket to pull out the keycard the hotel manager had given them. He swiped the card and waited for the red light to turn green before he slowly pushed the door open. Popping his gun out of his holster, he clutched it into his hand and pointed it in front of him. He and Peyton slowly walked into the hotel room while two other agents remained stationed in the hallway.

The first room they walked into was a living room. There was a creamed colored couch pushed up against the furthest wall. Some children's book was tossed carelessly on the piece of furniture. The dark brown carpet was littered with various kid's toys- trucks, action figures, even a few coloring books and crayons. One of the color books was left open to an unfinished picture. A blue crayon was resting on top of the off white pages. There was a TV nailed to the wall across from the couch. Some children's show that Peyton nor Clay recognized was playing on the screen. They cautiously walked further into the room to find it completely empty.

Peyton nodded her head towards the hallway where the bedrooms were located. Slowly, they headed towards that hall. It was a narrow hallway, one room on either side and then a last room at the very end of the hall. All of three of the white bedroom doors were shut. Taking a few more steps, they froze when the door at the end of the hall slowly began to open. Their hearts were pounding as they held their guns more securely in front of them. Time seemed to slow down as the door finally full opened, revealing a little boy standing in the doorway.

The little boy's blue eyes went wide when he saw Clay and Peyton standing there, guns out. He froze, his bottom lip beginning to quiver. He looked completely scared out of his mind, his little body visibly shaking. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a light blue t-shirt with a black sweatshirt over it. He was short. He couldn't have been more than four foot five. His dirty blonde hair was messily spiked in the front.

Peyton felt her throat close up. There was absolutely no mistaking that this little boy was Jamie Scott. He looked just like that little boy in the picture she saw back at Nathan and Haley's old house, albeit, older. It blew her away at just how perfect of a mixture he was of Nathan and Haley. She could tell when he was just a little boy and she could tell even more now. It felt almost surreal seeing him standing there.

Clay slowly placed his gun back in his holster. He looked back at Peyton who looked just as in awe as he felt. Taking a deep breath, he turned his attention back to the little boy. Placing his hands up in surrender, he took a step forward only for the little boy to jump back.

"It's okay, buddy," Clay said gently. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He just stared at Clay, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth.

Clay gave him a small smile. "My name is Clay. Are you Jamie?"

He nodded his head slowly.

Clay's heart jumped in his throat. He knew this little boy was Jamie but the confirmation just made it all so much more real. He took another hesitant step towards Jamie and this time Jamie remained still. "I work for the FBI. Do you know what the FBI does?"

Jamie nodded. "You get the bad guys. Like cops do."

Clay smiled as he slowly crouched down so he was the same height as Jamie. "That's right. We also help people who are in danger."

"Like me?" Jamie asked. The hand that was clutching tightly on to the door handle dropped to his side. He still looked scared, but there was something else marring his features now. It was…hope?

"Are you in danger?" Clay asked. It seemed like a stupid question but he needed to know. There was a chance that Jamie knew more about Ian than they did.

Jamie shrugged. "I don't know. Ms. Heather and Mr. Ian say that I am. That's why we always gotta move."

"Are those your parents?"

Jamie shook his head. "No. My momma and daddy are up in heaven."

Clay's eyes widened at that. He looked over his shoulder and back at Peyton who narrowed her eyes. Turning his head back to Jamie, he furrowed his eyebrows. "Why would you think your parents are dead?"

"That's what Mr. Ian told me. He told me that my momma and daddy died and he adopted me. He shows me pictures and tells me stories of them every night before I go to sleep. It's my bedtime story," Jamie revealed.

Peyton felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She quickly fished it out and read the awaiting text. "Clay, Smith and Taggaro arrested Heather. We need to get out of here," Peyton informed him, her mind still reeling from the information Jamie had revealed.

Clay reached out to grab Jamie's hand and to his surprise, Jamie didn't stop him. "Jamie, what if I told you that your parents are alive?"

"Really?" Jamie's eyes seemed to light up at that. The fear he was feeling quickly dissipating only to be replaced by genuine excitement.

Clay could feel tears well up in his eyes at the little boy's excitement. "Yeah. I can take you to them, if you'd like?"

Jamie eagerly nodded his head. "Okay."

Clay smiled brightly at the little boy before reaching to lift him up. Jamie didn't protest as he wrapped his arms around Clay's neck and allowed him to carry him out of the room. As soon as Jamie, Clay and Peyton exited the hotel room, the rest of the agents started to swarm the room for evidence.

~x~

"How long has it been?" Haley asked after what felt like hours of silence. After her panic attack, she and Nathan just laid in that van in silence. Nathan kept his arms tightly wound around her, his fingers drawing random patterns on the skin of her arms.

Nathan glanced down at his watch before answering. "About forty-five minutes."

"It feels like it's been hours."

"Long and torturous hours."

"Why haven't we heard anything yet?" Haley asked as she sat up slightly. "I feel like we should have at least heard something."

"I don't know, baby, I don't know."

Just then, there was a pounding on the van door before it swung open. One of the agents that Haley remembered to be named Frank was standing there. "Nathan, Haley, you might want to get out here," He said quickly, his arms motioning for them to jump out of the van.

They both looked at each other as they scurried out of the van. Their stomachs were in knots and their hearts were pounding at exceptional rates. Nathan kept his arm around Haley's waist as they were ushered to the front of the hotel. Haley was grateful for Nathan's arm because her legs felt like jelly. They stopped at the front entrance of the hotel. The entire place seemed to be swarmed with police officers and FBI agents. Haley watched as two agents walked out of the front doors, escorting a hand cuffed woman. She was a blonde, dressed in really expensive looking clothes. The scowl on her face made Haley uneasy. This was the woman that had been keeping an eye on Jamie. Haley had to resist the urge to march right up to that woman and give her a piece of her mind.

Adverting her eyes away from Heather, she looked back at the front entrance. She saw Peyton first. Her curly blonde hair bouncing as she hurried out of the hotel and down the hotel stairs. There was a bright smile on her face, something Haley wasn't sure she had ever seen on Peyton. Everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion.

The door to the hotel swung open once again and Clay stepped out, a little boy in his arms. Haley immediately knew that, that little boy was Jamie and God, he was perfect. He looked just as she imagined he would. His bright blue eyes, the same blue eyes that she saw every time she looked at Nathan. His button nose, the same button nose she saw every time she looked in the mirror. His dirty blonde hair, his chubby cheeks…he was absolutely perfect. She felt her knees give out from beneath her as she fell to the ground. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth as the tears fell effortlessly down her face. She never knew that happiness like this could exist.

Their son…he was alive and he was right in front her.

Nathan kneeled on the ground next to Haley and she hugged him tightly. Tears of his own were falling from his eyes as he stared at Jamie. He couldn't look away even if he tried. He was even more perfect than the first time he laid eyes on him in that house. This all felt like a dream. A dream that he didn't ever want to wake up from. The happiness he felt…the completeness that he felt…it was euphoric.

Clay approached Nathan and Haley, Jamie still securely in his arms. Once he reached them, he smiled at both of them as they shakily stood up from the ground. "Jamie Scott, I'd like to introduce you to your parents."


	15. Chapter 15

**Warning:** This is about to be a long ass author's note but I suggest you guys read it but I won't be offended if you don't, lol.

First things first, I want to take a minute to thank each and every one of you for your continued support of this story. When I first posted it, I didn't even think I would get 10 reviews so to get over 200...wow, I'm blown away. I can't tell you how much your kind words and messages have meant to me.

Secondly, I have officially finished this story! It ended up being 20 chapters plus an epilogue. I originally planned it to be about 25 but I did some revising. That means there is only 6 chapters left, not including this one. ): It feels so surreal to say that. I can honestly say that it's a pretty wild ride but I'm excited for you all to read it. I really love the way everything came together and I'm hoping you all agree.

Lastly, I hope you guys aren't hoping to get rid of me because I'm not done with writing Naley fanfics. I have two things that are currently in the works. I have a 3-shot planned that I am almost done with the first part of. That should be posted within the next week. It's just something cute and fun. I, also, have another multi-chapter fic that I am working on. If you liked this story, I can honestly say that I think you'll like this one, as well. It's a completely different plot but it's the same in terms of mystery and angst. Also, it's set during the high school years instead of the adult years. I already mapped the entire thing out and I'm almost done with the first chapter. I'm absolutely in love with it and I'm so excited. I have the same feeling about this story that I did with Razor Sharp.

Here is the summary:

 _Colors- He wanted nothing to do with love. She wanted a fairy-tale. He didn't get close to people. She was an open book. He was absolutely damaged and she was absolutely perfect. But they say opposites attract right?_

I should be posting the first chapter soon. I wanted to wait until I got closer to the end of this one but I'm honestly so fricken excited about this new story that I don't think I can stand to wait. I really want to see your guys reactions and stuff, so look out for that!

Regarding this chapter, I'm not gonna say it's a boring chapter because every time that I say that, you all disagree, but in my eyes, it's boring. Especially in comparison to last chapter. But, I just want to give you guys a little heads up. I sprinkled a few hints throughout this chapter that allude to what Ian's true plan is...so keep your eye out ;)

Okay, I'm done now...on with the chapter.

 **Disclaimer:** It's 6 am and I'm dead tired and I was so anxious to post this that I only skimmed over it. I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes.

* * *

Neither Haley nor Nathan could look away from the miracle that was standing directly in front of them.

This had to be a dream.

A perfect dream that they never wanted to wake up from.

Jamie stared curiously at them, his blue eyes twinkling. His fingers were in his mouth and was his forehead creased. Clay's hold on him was still tight. Haley wanted nothing more than to scoop Jamie out of Clay's arms and just never let him go, but she held herself back. Quinn's words echoed in the back of her mind and the last thing she wanted to do was make him feel uncomfortable.

Nathan was having similar thoughts as he stared at Jamie. He had to fight the fatherly instincts that were running through him. One of his arms were wrapped tightly around Haley and he could feel her trembling beside him. There was a mixture of fear and curiosity in Jamie's eyes. To Nathan's surprise, the curiosity outweighed the fear.

"Do you want to say hi?" Clay asked Jamie, rubbing a hand comfortingly up and down his back.

Timidly, Jamie released his fingers from his mouth and lifted his hand up in a small wave. Haley felt a fresh batch of tears well up in her eyes. It hurt for her own son to seem so unsure of her. She knew that this was coming but that didn't stop the ache from forming in her heart.

"Jamie, I'm going to hand you over to your mom. Are you okay with that?" Clay asked carefully, glancing between Jamie and Haley.

A small smile spread across Jamie's face as he eagerly nodded his head. Clay smiled back and repositioned Jamie so he could easily hand him over to Haley. Haley took a step forward, Nathan's hand remaining on the small of her back. She reached out her arms to Jamie as her heart pounded loudly in her chest. Once she touched Jamie, she knew he was real. This was real.

Jamie wrapped his arms around Haley's neck and held on to her tightly. His eyes trailed over her face and he felt a warmth spread through him. He could see the unshed tears in her eyes. Reaching up, his small fingers caressed her cheek, wiping away the stray tears. Haley choked back a sob at his actions. Jamie looked over at Nathan when he felt his hand rest on his back. He, too, had tears in his eyes. Jamie immediately noticed just how similar Nathan's eyes were to his own.

There was not a single doubt in his mind that these two people were his mom and dad.

"I really hate to do this to the both of you," Quinn announced as she walked over to the emotional parents. "But, Jamie really needs to be checked over by a doctor. It won't take long. Then, we can get started on his evaluation. Sound good?"

Haley really didn't want to let Jamie go. She just got him back and now it was like he was being ripped from her arms again. She glanced back at Nathan who gave her a comforting smile. Looking back at Jamie, she couldn't resist placing a quick kiss on his cheek before she shifted to hand him over to Quinn.

Quinn could see the anguish in their eyes and she felt something crack inside of her. Normally, it was protocol for the doctor to look over the child without the parents present. It was something that she never agreed with and fought against ever since she was hired, but she had no choice but to follow the rules. However, looking at the pain mixed in with the undeniable happiness in Nathan and Haley's eyes, she knew they were worth breaking the rules for.

"Actually, would you like to go with Jamie?" She asked with a small smile.

"Can we?" Nathan asked with furrowed eyebrows. His knowledge about these kind of things was minimum at best but he was certain that parents usually weren't allowed to be present during evaluations.

"Normally, we don't allow it. But I think we could make an exception," Quinn said. "Now come on, the doctor is waiting for us."

~x~

About three hours later, the doctor was finally done with checking Jamie over. As far as he could see, Jamie was in perfect health. There was no signs of physical or sexual abuse, which Nathan and Haley were grateful for. He was a healthy weight and he growing at a normal rate. There was no signs of any underlying medical conditions like diabetes or asthma. They were still waiting on his blood work to come back but there was no reason to believe that those tests wouldn't come back normal, as well.

Once the doctor was done, Quinn had taken Jamie back to complete his emotional evaluation. Unlike the physical one, Nathan and Haley couldn't sit it on that. So, there they sat in yet another waiting room. It seemed like all there life consisted of now was waiting. Nathan couldn't stop shaking his leg up and down while Haley's bottom lip was raw from chewing on it so much. Even though they got their son back, things were still far from normal.

"This still doesn't feel real," Haley muttered, breaking the silence. "Seeing him, touching him, hearing his voice…I never thought I would be able to do any of those things. And now that I have, I just want to keep doing it."

Nathan reached over to grab her hand. He ran the pad of his thumb over her knuckles. "I know the feeling, Hales. I definitely know the feeling."

She lifted their joint hands and brushed her lips against the back of his hand before admitting quietly, "I'm scared, Nathan. What if Jamie never becomes comfortable with us? What if we can't rebuild our family? I just have these pictures in my head of us playing at the park or sitting around the Christmas tree on Christmas morning or throwing Jamie a birthday party…what if we can never have that?"

"Hales," Nathan said softly as he shifted in his seat. He grabbed her other hand and gave both of her hands a squeeze. "I have the same fears that you do, but we can't think like that. Did you see the way that Jamie looked at us? He wasn't scared of us. Yeah, he was a little apprehensive of us, but that was to be expected. He let you touch him. Those are all good signs."

"I know," Haley sniffled. "But, I just can't seem to shut my brain off. We've missed so much of his life and we can't ever get those years back. Plus, there is no telling what Ian did to Jamie during those years."

Before Nathan had a chance to answer, the door to the waiting room swung open and Quinn walked through with a bright smile on her face. There was a pep in her step that had both of their hearts racing. In sync, they both stood up from their chairs, their hands still intertwined.

"I have to say," Quinn began with a smile. "Jamie might be the smartest kid I have ever met. He can read at about an eighth grade level, he loves to do math, and he's quite to conversationalist. He seems like a normal seven year old."

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming," Nathan mumbled.

Quinn's lips turned up into a half smile. "But, there is definitely some emotional damage. However, it is not in the way you might think. As far as I can tell, Jamie hasn't suffered for any kind of emotional abuse but he hasn't had any stability either. According to Jamie, Ian had moved him around a lot. They never stayed in one place for too long. On top of that, Jamie hasn't had much interaction with people with the exception of Ian and whoever he brought around. This might pose a problem later when it comes time for Jamie to enroll in school. Of course, there are ways we can fix that."

Haley nodded in understanding. There was a part of her that was relieved that Jamie hadn't suffered any major emotional damage and she couldn't ignore her excitement over hearing that Jamie was, in fact, an intelligent kid. "That's so good to hear."

"What about us?" Nathan asked.

"I avoided asking questions about the both of you because I wanted you to be present when I did. I think it would be beneficial for all parties. It'll allow you all to get a sold grasp on what exactly we are dealing with," Quinn explained. "However, I do know that Jamie has gone a large portion of his life in kind of a false reality. He was lead to believe that you both were dead and that he was adopted."

Nathan swore he felt his heart drop to his stomach. "I'm guessing that makes things a lot more difficult?"

"Yes, but the good thing is, is that Jamie is asking a lot of questions. Our entire session, he kept asking me questions about the both of you and he was eager to see you guys again. He's curious instead of being fearful, which is good news," Quinn reassured. "Plus, from what I gather, Ian had told him quite a bit about the two of you."

"Did he say what Ian said about us?" Haley piped up.

Quinn shook her head. "I didn't get there yet, either. I wanted you both present for that as well." The apprehension was clear on their faces. This was the hardest part of her job. It killed her to see parents go from really excited to heartbroken in such a short amount of time. "Do you want to know what my favorite part of our session was?"

They both nodded.

"I asked Jamie if he could tell me his full name. With a proud smile, he answered 'James Lucas Scott'."

"Really?" Haley gasped, her grip on Nathan tightening.

Quinn nodded. "At least he knows exactly who he is."

Nathan let out a breath that he didn't even realize that he was holding. "Wow."

"Even I was blown away," Quinn admitted. "Are you both ready for your first session with him?"

They both nodded, once again.

Quinn smiled and turned, waving for them to follow her. "Then, come with me."

The two of them followed Quinn down a narrow hallway. Nathan had spent countless hours at this station but even he had no idea this part existed. Once they reached the end of the hall, Quinn pushed open the only closed door to reveal a comfortable looking office. It looked a lot like a therapists office would. Against the farthest wall was a light tan couch with an abundance of pillows. Across from the couch was a desk with all of Quinn's files and notebooks. The blinds were drawn and the only light was coming from a desk lamp on a coffee table adjacent to the couch.

Next, Nathan's eyes fell to Jamie who was laying on the floor. He was flipped over on his stomach, his entire focus on the coloring book in front of him. He was busy coloring what looked like a firetruck. Nathan couldn't help but notice how well Jamie was staying in the lines of the picture. Jamie seemed to be oblivious to the new visitors in the room.

"Jamie, sweetie, look who's here," Quinn cooed softly as she walked back over to her desk chair. She motioned for Nathan and Haley to take a seat on the couch.

Jamie tore his eyes away from his picture and looked up. An excited smile spread across his face when he saw Nathan and Haley taking a seat on the couch. That curious look that was in his eyes earlier that day had returned. Quickly, he scrambled to sit up in a cross-legged position, facing his parents. Once again, Nathan and Haley found themselves completely transfixed by the sight of Jamie sitting there.

"Jamie, do you remember their names?" Quinn asked the little boy. She had taken the liberty of telling Jamie his parent's names. She wasn't sure if Jamie would be comfortable referring to them as "mom" and "dad" right away.

Jamie nodded. "That's Haley, my mommy," Jamie said while point at Haley. "And that's Nathan, my daddy." The finger that was pointing at Haley shifted to point at Nathan.

Nathan felt a shiver run down his spine at Jamie referring to him as his dad. Judging by the way Haley's grip tightened on his arm, she felt it too.

"Good," Quinn said with a smile as she jotted something down in her notebook. "Now, Jamie, you said that Mr. Ian used to tell you stories about Nathan and Haley, correct?"

Jamie nodded.

"What kind of stories did he tell you?"

Jamie looked down at his hands and began to play with his fingers as if he was nervous. "Um, he told me that my parents died when I was just a baby. He never told me how they died, just that they…they were in heaven. He told me that he was really close with my daddy when they were young but, he didn't know my mom very well."

Haley shifted nervously in her seat. For some reason, that made her uncomfortable. She could feel her skin crawling and every hair on her body was standing straight up. Nathan sensed her discomfort and grabbed her hand, bringing it up to his mouth. He pressed a delicate kiss to the back of her hand. Instantly, a calmness washed over her.

"Nathan, is that true?" Quinn asked.

Nathan shook his head. Quinn nodded him on, pointing towards Jamie. Nathan's eyes fell to Jamie and he began to tell him the truth about Ian. "No, uh, Ian and I were never close. I've known him since I was about your age, Jamie. We went to a lot of basketball camps together."

Jamie's eyes light up at the mention of basketball. "Basketball!"

Nathan couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. "You like basketball?"

Jamie nodded eagerly. "Mr. Ian always brought a basketball hoop wherever we went. He always let me play."

Nathan swallowed hard, his stomach twisting in every which way. He clenched his fists as images of Ian teaching _his_ son how to play basketball entered his mind. It was Haley's turn to calm him down. She began to rub her hand up and down his arm in soothing manner. After a few seconds, he felt the tension leave his body.

"Mr. Ian did tell me that you play basketball, too. He said you were really good," Jamie continued on.

"I used to play," Nathan said quietly.

Jamie furrowed his eyebrows. "Why don't you play anymore? I saw pictures. You always looked like you were flying."

Nathan smiled a sad smile. "I hurt myself, buddy, so I can't play anymore."

"You can't play at all?" Jamie asked sadly.

"I can play, just not a lot."

The pout on Jamie's face quickly disappeared. "Will you play with me some day?"

Nathan felt his throat close up. Jamie was looking at him with such wide eyes and a hopeful smile. Clearing his throat, Nathan nodded. "Of course."

Jamie smiled excitedly and clapped his hands together. "I can't wait!"

Haley's heart absolutely soared at the sight. She could already see a bond forming between the two of them and that made her want to cry. But, she held her tears back. She had a done enough crying the last few hours. Nathan looked over at her and she gave him a proud smile.

"What else did Mr. Ian tell you about your parents, Jamie?" Quinn asked, steering the conversation back to the more pressing topic.

Jamie shrugged. "He showed me lots of pictures. There were ones where Haley looked like a princess and Nathan looked like a prince."

Haley smiled, giving Nathan a knowing look. Their wedding pictures.

"He said that they loved each other very much. He said that Haley was Nathan's prized possession, kind of like my basketball. He said that Nathan always made sure that Haley was safe and that he would do anything for her," Jamie babbled on. "They looked so happy in those pictures."

"We are very happy, Jamie," Haley said quietly. "We're even happier now that you're back in our lives."

"Jamie, how do you feel about the fact that your parents are actually alive?" Quinn prodded.

"Happy!" Jamie exclaimed. "I always told Mr. Ian that I wished they were still alive because I wanted to meet them. My wish came true!"

Haley didn't even try to stop the tears from falling from her eyes this time. Jamie just looked so happy. He looked like he was comfortable around them and he wanted them to be there. She was so terrified that he didn't want anything to do with them and words couldn't describe just how happy she was to find that her fears were wrong.

A shrill ringing sound came through the small room, causing all the occupants to jump. Quinn quickly scrambled to shut the source of the sound off.

"Looks like our fifteen minutes are up for the day," Quinn said sadly.

Jamie pouted. "You guys are leaving already?"

Nathan felt his heart break at the sight. He didn't want to leave him. God, he didn't want to leave him. He wanted to just spend eternity sitting there and talking with Jamie. "Don't worry, buddy, we'll be back tomorrow."

Jamie pushed himself off of the ground and walked over to Nathan and Haley. He stuck out his pinky. "Promise?"

Nathan smiled at him and hooked his pinky with his. He quickly took notice of how small Jamie's pinky was in comparison to his. "I promise."

Jamie then moved on to Haley, his pinky sticking out still. "You promise, too?"

Haley smiled and followed in Nathan's footsteps. "I promise."

Satisfied, Jamie smiled brightly at the both of the before plopping back on the ground. Quinn motioned for Nathan and Haley to follow her out in the hall. It took every ounce of strength they had to walk out of that room. As soon as the door closed, they both felt the loss of Jamie. The ache in their hearts had returned and it seemed even stronger now, if that was possible.

"This is truly the hardest part," Quinn said sympathetically. "I promise you that we are going to take good care of him and just remember, you will see him tomorrow. Once you leave, he's going to be transported to one of our facilities. Our sessions will take place there from now on."

"It's so hard to let him go," Haley blurted out. "I mean, we just got him back and now I'm forced to leave him again. I don't understand how people can survive something like this."

Nathan wrapped an arm around Haley and pulled her into his chest. "Do you have any pointers for us?"

"Just breathe," Quinn offered up. "It sounds lame but it helps." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Today went extremely well. Jamie seems extremely comfortable around the both of you and he opened up a lot more than kids in his situation normally do. I think it's safe to say that he will be going home with you relatively soon."

"How soon is soon?" Haley squeaked.

"I would say two weeks at the latest," She murmured. "Which brings up a very important conversation. Nathan, your permanent residence at the moment is in New York, correct?"

"That's correct."

"And as of now, you both are staying at Courtyard?"

Nathan nodded.

"You both need to discuss what you're going to do about living arrangements. A hotel would not be a very suitable place for Jamie to be. It's not a home. He needs a more stable and more comfortable home. It will make this whole thing a lot easier on all of you," Quinn informed them in a gentle voice.

"I honestly hadn't even thought about that," Haley mumbled. "We'll figure something out."

"Good. Now, go home and get some rest. Jamie will be waiting for you guys tomorrow."

~x~

Haley held the cup of hot chocolate tightly in her hands as she sat snuggled up on the couch. The sound of the shower running could faintly be heard from where she was sitting. Selfishly, she wanted Nathan to hurry up with his shower. She just wanted to lay in his arms and let him take away all of the emotional distress this day had caused her. Not to mention, they still had quite a few things they had to talk about.

She had been so wrapped up in repairing her marriage and finding Jamie that she hadn't even realized that they had absolutely no living arrangements figured out. It had completely slipped her mind that technically, Nathan lived in New York and that she lived in a two-bedroom apartment with Brooke. According to Quinn, they only had a two weeks to figure everything out. Was that even enough time to find a house that they both liked and then be able to go through all the legal procedures of buying a house? What about Nathan's job in New York? Was suddenly buying a house and then moving in together moving too fast? She and Nathan did just "officially" get back together not even a week ago.

But, somehow, it didn't feel like they were moving too fast. In fact, it felt as if they were moving too slow. She had spent the last six years of her life waiting and wishing for Nathan to walk back through the door he had walked out of it in the first place. She had waited six years to touch to him again, to kiss him again, and to hear him say that he still loved her. They had already wasted so much time and she didn't want to waste another second. Plus, they had to do what was best for Jamie and living in a hotel was the farthest thing from the best.

She had already said it a hundred times and she was probably going to say it another hundred times, but today had felt so…unreal. Seeing Jamie…it took her breath away. He was absolutely perfect. He was exactly how she had pictured him. There had been countless nights that she had dreamt of holding him in her arms again but none of those dreams beat the real thing. She felt a warmth that she hadn't felt since she held Jamie in her arms moments after he was born.

"What are you thinking so intently about, Hales?" Brooke asked as she plopped down on the couch next to Haley.

Haley broke out of her daze and looked over at Brooke. "Today."

Brooke smiled softly as she felt a sense of happiness wash over her. She could still picture herself breaking down in Lucas' arms when she heard word that Jamie had been found. "How did it go with Jamie? Is he everything that you dreamed of?"

Haley sat up and placed the mug of hot chocolate on the coffee table. She then repositioned herself so that she was sitting cross-legged and facing Brooke more head on. "He's more," She breathed out. "He's absolutely perfect, Brooke."

"Tell me about him. Don't leave out a single detail."

"His eyes, oh God, his eyes are all Nathan. They're so blue. I can already tell that he's going to be a heartbreaker with those eyes. And he does this little nose scrunch thing that is just so me. He's so outgoing and just so smart. He's a little on the short side, which I'm sure he gets from me. Oh, and get this, he loves basketball. I swear, as soon as basketball was mentioned, his eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. That he definitely gets from Nathan," Haley gushed, the smile never leaving her face.

Tears welled up in Brooke's eyes as she listened to Haley ramble on about Jamie. She couldn't recall a time that Haley ever looked this happy during the last six years. There was a certain glow about her that made Brooke's heart feel just so full of love. "He sounds incredible, Haley."

Haley nodded. "He is." Her own eyes filled with tears at the sight of Brooke crying.

"I can't wait to see him," Brooke said with a small giggle. She quickly wiped away her fallen tears.

"I'm sure that he'll be more than thrilled to meet his Godmother," Haley beamed with a tearful smile. "Especially since you're probably going to spoil the shit out of him."

Brooke laughed wholeheartedly. "Well, of course I'm going to do that! I'm pretty sure that's in the job description."

Haley wiped the tears from her eyes as she laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"So, when exactly do you think I'll get to meet him? Obviously, I don't want to take any time away from you guys but, I still want to fulfill my duties as Godmother," Brooke said cautiously.

"Soon. I don't really know how soon, soon is but it shouldn't be that long. According to Quinn, we should be able to take him home sometime within the next two weeks," Haley informed Brooke.

Brooke widened her eyes. "Wow, really? That soon? I figured this was going to be a few month long process."

Haley let out a small laugh. "You and me, both. I can't even explain to you how happy that makes me. It doesn't really give Nathan and I much time to figure out where we're going to live though, not that I'm complaining. I just want to make sure things are perfect for Jamie."

Brooke squinted her eyes as if she was deep in thought. After a few moments of silence, her eyes widened and Haley swore she actually saw the light bulb go off in her head. "Why don't you guys move into the apartment? It's not a house but it's a lot homier than a hotel room. That way you don't have to rush to find a house. You can take more time to find a house that is absolutely perfect for the three of you."

"And where exactly are you going to live?"

"I can just move in with Lucas," Brooke responded nonchalantly.

Haley kinked an eyebrow. "Lucas, huh?"

Brooke felt her cheeks heat up and she narrowed her eyes at Haley. "Oh, don't start!"

Haley laughed loudly. "What is going on with the two of you anyway?"

Brooke shifted nervously as she suddenly took an interest in a corner of one of the pillows. Her fingers began to pick nervously at the fabric. "I'm not really sure. We've just been hanging out, I guess."

"Define hanging out."

Brooke sighed heavily. "We've gone on a few dates and we've kissed a few times but that's about it. We've decided to take things slow and by slow, I mean slow. Not 'wait two days and then have sex' kind of slow." It was Brooke's turn to raise an eyebrow at Haley.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Completely different situations."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Brooke joked back. "But, in all seriousness, I can move in with Lucas, I'm sure he won't mind."

"Are you sure?" Haley asked. "I don't want to inconvenience you in anyway."

"I'm positive and don't you dare ask me again. I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't serious. But here, talk it over with Nathan and see what he thinks. I'll talk to Lucas and then we'll go from there, okay?" Brooke scooted closer to Haley and tossed an arm over her shoulder.

Haley leaned her head against Brooke's shoulder. "Thank you, Brooke. You don't know how much this means."

Brooke gave her a comforting squeeze. "Anything for my best friend and her family."

~x~

Clay stared at the story board in front of him. The entire board was covered with pictures of Ian, Heather, Steven, and Teddy, along with a few pictures of Nathan, Haley, and Jamie. Every single piece of information they had on this case was on that board. They might have had a victory with getting Jamie back but Ian was still out there and Clay had an uneasy feeling about that.

He had so many questions and so little answers. Things just weren't making sense to him. Getting Jamie back shouldn't have been as easy as it was. Ian had spent so many years running and hiding Jamie, but for what? He gave Jamie up without a fight. That was another thing that didn't sit well with him. It was clear that Ian never wanted Jamie dead, Teddy had confirmed that. But why keep him alive? If he really wanted to hurt Nathan, wouldn't killing Jamie do just that? The death of his child would have been the ultimate revenge, something Ian was clearly searching for.

Unless it was never about Jamie…

Clay suddenly sat up in his chair. "I'm starting to think that this doesn't have anything to do with Jamie at all."

Peyton looked up from the file she was looking for, her eyebrows furrowing. "What the hell do you mean?" She spat incredulously. "That lunatic kidnapped him and held him hostage for six years. It has everything to do with Jamie."

Clay shook his head as he stood up from his chair. He began to pace the length of the office room they were. His arms were crossed over his chest and his forehead was creased in deep concentration. "I think Jamie was just a pawn, not his main goal."

"Please explain," Peyton said as she folded her arms over the table. "I'm not sure I understand."

"Think about it. If Ian wanted Jamie dead, he would have been dead by now. But instead, he kept him alive. Teddy even said that Ian wouldn't kill Jamie, that it wasn't part of his plan. There is some reason that Ian kept Jamie alive," Clay paused. "There is also a reason that Ian made sure Jamie knew exactly who is parents are."

"But, why wait six years? That seems a little excessive," Peyton pointed on.

"Maybe things didn't go the way he planned them to. Ian didn't start getting sloppy with things until we brought Haley into custody. As soon as we had her, he practically gave Jamie to us."

Peyton mulled over what Clay said for a little while before she nodded her head in agreement. "Those are valid points. He gave up Jamie so easily. Taggaro and Smith said that Heather didn't even put up a fight when they arrested her. It was almost like she was expecting them. She even took the liberty of telling the exactly what room Jamie was in. If it's not Jamie that he wanted, who is it?"

Clay stopped his pacing to look back over at the story board. "It has to be either Nathan or Haley. I just can't figure out which one."

"Nathan was the one that ended his basketball career, right? Wouldn't it make sense if Nathan is who he was truly after?" Peyton offered up.

"The thing with that is that he had the chance to kill Nathan but he kept him alive. Teddy and Steven could have easily killed him when they kidnapped him, but they didn't," Clay mumbled.

"Maybe they just didn't get the chance to?"

Clay shook his head. "I don't think that's it either. They were torturing him instead of killing him. Ian didn't order for him to be killed, just tortured. There has to be a reason for that, also."

"Okay, so the only other option is Haley."

"He had the opportunity to kill her, too. He was following her around for years and not to mention, Steven and Teddy interacted with her frequently," Clay said with a frustrated sigh. "There's something we're missing here."

"I don't know, Clay," Peyton sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I definitely agree but I just don't know what we could possibly be missing."

"We've just got to dig deeper. We've got to do something. I don't like the feeling I have in my gut right now."

~x~

Haley yawned as she crawled into bed next to Nathan. She was completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally. For the first time in a while, she knew she wasn't going to have any trouble falling asleep. Which, worked for her, because the quicker she fell asleep, the quicker she got to see Jamie again. Looking over at Nathan, she decided now would be the perfect time to bring up what Brooke had suggested earlier.

"So, I think I might have figured out a temporary solution to our living arrangements problem," Haley announced as she curled into Nathan's side.

"And what's that?"

"What if you and Jamie move into Brooke and I's apartment?" She asked, nervously chewing on the skin of her bottom lip.

"And what is Brooke going to do?" Nathan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She's going to move in with Lucas," Haley responded.

Both of his eyebrows raised at that. "Lucas? I didn't even know those two were a thing again."

"They're not…or at least, they're not like officially a thing," Haley mumbled. "Look, I know that it's not the most ideal situation but it's a lot more comfortable than this hotel room. Plus, this way it gives us a little more time to find the perfect house instead of rushing to find one. Brooke was the one who had suggested it and she's completely okay with it."

Nathan sat in silence while he thought over what Haley was offering. She did have a valid point. "Yeah, I guess that could work. And I'm still on personal leave from the FBI, so that poses no threats."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that…what do you plan on doing once Ian is locked away? I mean, you did only join the FBI to take him down, right?" Haley asked, nervously. This was a conversation that they hadn't treaded into yet and she'd be lying if she said it didn't scare the shit out of her. Would Nathan want to stay in the FBI? Would that mean she and Jamie would have to move to New York? She wouldn't necessarily be opposed to moving to New York. She would do anything to keep her family together, but then again, Tree Hill was home.

"I haven't really thought about it," He replied, honestly. "I only joined the FBI to keep you safe and to bring Ian down. I never really expected love it and to be completely honest, I don't really know if I do love it. It's always been something that I felt like I had do to in the best interest of my family, not something that I, from a personal standpoint, wanted to do."

Haley wanted to respond but she was cut off by a loud yawn tearing from her throat, causing Nathan to chuckle.

"Hales, get some sleep. We'll talk about this more tomorrow."

Normally, she would have protested. She never liked going to bed when she felt like things were unresolved, but her body was screaming at her to get some rest. So, instead, she reached up and placed a quick kiss on Nathan's lips before curling back into his side. After all, they did have all the time in the world now.

"I love you, Nathan Scott," Haley whispered as her eyes fell closed.

"I love you, too, beautiful." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and smiled when she whimpered in response. Closing his eyes, he waited for sleep to claim him, which he figured wouldn't be too long considering how tired he was. Just as he was on the brink of sleep, he heard his phone go off from the bedside table. He wanted to ignore it, whoever it was could wait until the morning. But there was something in his gut telling him to check his phone.

Opening his eyes again, he reached over to grab his phone. When the phone screen illuminated, his eyebrows furrowed when he saw that he had a text from an unsaved number, a number he didn't recognize. Unlocking his phone, he opened the message and his blood ran cold.

 _This is far from over, Scott. Kiss the wife for me._


	16. Chapter 17

To the guest reviewer who said something about how you hope Nathan doesn't end up moving back to Tree Hill to just be a basketball coach- I'm going to tell you right off that bat that I did not go that route with the ending of this story. I agree that, that has been done far too many times and I'm sure as you can all tell, I like to do things a little different. That is all I will say regarding that. As for why Jamie seemingly has gone unscathed the entire time he's been with Ian...you'll see why that is soon.

If you haven't been made aware, I did post the first two chapters of my new story! Like I said before, I'm super pumped about it. It would mean a lot to me if y'all checked it out and maybe left me a review or something :) It's called Colors! I meant to post this last night with the update of Colors but for some reason, I couldn't get the upload page to load. I'm not sure if it was my wifi or the website it's self having some problems but it just wouldn't load. Luckily, whatever it was seems to be fixed now.

I have a feeling that some of you aren't going to agree with something that happens in this chapter and that's okay! I love hearing the opinions of my readers and we all have different opinions. I tried my hardest to stick as close as possible to Nathan and Haley's actual personalities on the show. Whenever it came time for my characters to make a decision, I always tried to think of what the Naley on screen would do if they were put in this position. I'm going to be honest, I strayed a little bit from that in this chapter. Personally, I believe that it was necessary to move the story to the inevitable climax of everything. But, let's see what you all think!

Okay, I am done rambling now.

* * *

" _This is far from over, Scott. Kiss the wife for me_ …what the fuck is this guy playing at?" Peyton barked, tossing Nathan's phone back on the table.

"Mouth couldn't trace the number," Clay said as he entered the room. "Apparently it is a prepaid cellphone that 'coincidently' ran out of money after that text was sent."

"Funny, I didn't even know you could text on prepaid phones. I thought you could only make calls," Peyton grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, the ever-changing phenomenon of modern technology," Clay said bitterly.

"What are we going to do about this?" Nathan spoke up. "Haley's scared out of her mind and to be honest, I'm not feeling too secure about this either."

"Right now, we do nothing," Dan said from over the phone.

"What?!" The three of the said in unison.

Dan let out a sigh. "All three of you are one in the same. You like to jump right into things and while I understand that, you have to remember that sometimes it's better to wait things out. It took me years of this work to figure that out. Right now, you're the blinding leading the blind. All you have is a text message from an untraceable phone, you can't do much with that."

"So, what? We just sit here and wait for Ian to do more than send a threatening text?" Peyton asked incredulously.

"For the time being, we increase security on Nathan, Haley, and Jamie. We keep an extra eye out and we be more cautious," Dan explained. "Ian sent that message as a warning. He's not going to stay dormant for long. We wait until there is more substance and then we force ourselves one step ahead of him."

Nathan ran a hand over his face in frustration. "What about Jamie and me moving into Haley's apartment? I'm guessing that, that isn't the greatest idea anymore." Nathan couldn't help the frustration from bubbling up in his veins. He was starting to get real sick and tired of Ian controlling his life. First, he takes his son and now that they had Jamie back, he was disrupting their chance to rebuild their family. The family that he had destroyed.

"Actually," Dan began. "I think moving into that apartment might just be the kind of set up we need."

Peyton sat back in her chair, her eyebrows creased in concentration. "Why's that?"

"Ian will think that we've suddenly become sloppy. He knows that we are well aware of the fact he knows where Haley lives. He won't be expecting you all to move into there. It'll cause him to come out of the woodwork much quicker," Dan explained.

"Isn't that putting them all at higher risk?" Clay questioned.

"Not if we do it smartly. We station an undercover officer at each entrance to the apartment complex and outside of the apartment. Also, we surround the place with undercover squad cars. There will be no way for him to get in without being caught," Dan instructed. "Ultimately, it's up to you, Nathan, to decide what you want to do."

Nathan glanced over at Clay and Peyton before letting out a breath of air. "I have to discuss it with Haley before I make any decisions."

"I understand. Not to put any pressure on you, but the quicker you come to a decision the better," Dan said softly.

"Yeah," Nathan said while glancing at the clock. "I gotta cut this short, Haley and I have our second session with Jamie in forty five minutes. I'll call you later." With that, he ended the call.

"How's that going, by the way?" Clay asked.

Nathan stood up from his chair and smile softly. "Oh, I'm sure Quinn has filled you in on the details."

Clay shook his head. "Confidentiality rules. She never tells me about her cases, even the real emotionally draining ones. She's a real trooper."

"Oh," Nathan mumbled before he continued, his eyes twinkling as he talked about Jamie. "It's rough, you know? We've gone so long without Jamie in our lives and now all we want to do is hold him, play with him, kiss him…all the things that normal parents do with their kids. But, we can't, at least right now. He's comfortable around us, though. He seems okay with the fact that we're his parents, so that's a good sign."

Peyton reached over to place a comforting hand on Nathan's shoulder. "You're going to get your happy ending, Nate. After everything that you and Haley have been through, there is no way that happiness isn't in the cards for you two."

Nathan smiled gratefully at Peyton. "I sure hope so."

~x~

"So, let me get this straight, Dan wants us all to move in the apartment that Ian knows I live in? The same apartment that he took pictures of me showering, changing, and sleeping in?" Haley asked with wide eyes.

Nathan nodded meekly. "He thinks it'll lure Ian in because he'll think we've gotten sloppy. He makes a good point but I don't know, Hales. It's dangerous and as much as I want to bring him down, I don't want to use you or Jamie as pawns."

Haley chewed on the side of her cheek as she thought over Dan's plan that Nathan had just informed her about. She was completely torn about what to do. The thought of Ian potentially coming within even a hundred mile radius of Jamie again had her stomach churning. But, at the same time, she was tired of living in fear. She wanted Ian locked up and she wanted to rebuild her family in peace. Maybe taking the dangerous route was their only option.

"I think we should do it," She whispered a few moments later.

"What?" Nathan asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Haley took a deep breath in before slowly letting it out. "I think we should move into the apartment and go through with Dan's plan. I'm so sick of living in fear and I just want all of this to be over with. If that is what it takes, then so be it. Besides, I don't think your father would allow us to do anything that could potentially hurt us."

"Are you sure about this?" He inquired, reaching forward to grab her hand. "There might be some other options that we can come up with."

The corners of her mouth turned up into a small smile. "I'm not going to lie to you and say that all of this doesn't scare me to death but that's exactly why I want to do it. I'm so tired of being scared, Nathan. I'm so tired of worrying about if we're finally going to get our happy ending or if every time you walk out the door, if I'm gonna see you again. I want to finally find peace and at this point, I'll do anything. But, if it's not what you want to do…"

Nathan shook his head. "It's you and Jamie that I'm worried the most about."

"I love you, you know that?"

As a response to that, Nathan leaned forward to capture her lips in a sweet kiss, his hand reaching up to cup her cheek. His thumb delicately ran across the skin of her cheek as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. She eagerly responded, her arms wounding around his neck as she scooted her body closer to his, which wasn't the easiest of tasks with an arm rest wedged in-between. Once air became an issue, Nathan pulled away from the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. The only sound that could be heard was their labored panting.

"I swear to you, Haley that I won't let anything happen to you or Jamie. Not again," Nathan promised.

"I know," Haley replied with a soft smile.

When the waiting room door to the Child Psychology Department's office swung open, they broke apart. Quinn was standing in the doorway, a welcoming smile on her face. As before, she was dressed in a grey dress suit, a clip board in her hands. This time, her long blonde hair was pulled back into a sleek pony tail.

"Are you guys ready?" She asked. "Jamie hasn't stopped talking about the both of you since you left yesterday. He's excited to see you both."

Haley didn't even try to contain the smile from spreading across her face. "We're excited to see him too."

Quinn returned the smile. "Then let's get you two to him. There's a few things I need to discuss with you, so we'll talk on the way."

Nathan and Haley walked hand-in-hand with Quinn as she led them down a serious of corridors. Butterflies upon butterflies were swarming in their stomachs as they walked. Each step they took felt like one step closer to heaven.

"I do have to tell you that Jamie had trouble sleeping last night," Quinn began. "He refused to turn the night light off and he sat up in bed most of the night playing with different toys or coloring. There are a few explanations for this. One, he could have just been scared of the dark and since it's a new place, he's not comfortable enough to just fall asleep. That is common with most kids. Or, this could have been a direct result of something that had occurred during his time with Ian. I can't say for sure which it is yet, but after a little more observation, I should have a clearer answer for you."

"He probably gets that for me," Nathan muttered. It hurt his heart to hear that Jamie had, had a rough first night. "I'm a night owl."

Quinn smiled gently at him. "Genetics could also be an explanation."

"Is there something you could give him to help him sleep?" Haley questioned.

Quinn nodded. "We could have given him a sedative. It would be a very low dose and it would only make him drowsy enough to make him want to fall asleep, not put him to sleep. We just need the parent's approval."

"Okay," Nathan gave his approval. "What else did you want to talk about?"

"The other thing I wanted to talk to you about is that I started working on his socialization skills. There are quite a few programs that we offer here that help deal with this problem but I have yet to determine which ones will be the most beneficial for him. As of now, I can confidently say that he is not severely damaged so it will most likely be one of our lower level programs," Quinn explained.

Haley let out a relieved breath of air. "I can't even being to tell you how amazing it feels to hear that."

"Like I said before, Jamie is one intelligent kid," Quinn beamed as they reached the door to her office.

She pushed it open and all three of them stepped over the threshold. Her office looked a lot like the one that had been at the station, albeit a lot more comfortable looking. The lights were dim and they gave the room a warm glow. She had two couches on opposite sides of the room. They were decorated with a bunch of throw pillows. Jamie was perched on the furthest couch, a children's book in his hands. As soon as he heard the door open, his head snapped up and an excited smile spread across his face.

"Nathan! Haley!" Jamie's little voice squeal as he scrambled off the couch. At full force, he ran into their legs, wrapping his tiny arms around the both of them as best as he could.

Haley immediately felt the tears well up in her eyes as her and Nathan both hugged him back the best they could. It still hurt that he wasn't comfortable with calling them "mom" or "dad" yet, but she would take what she got. The pure excitement on Jamie's face warmed her heart and it allowed her believe that things were, in fact, going to be just fine between all of them.

"I'm so happy you came back!" Jamie exclaimed as he pulled back from his parents. That smile just wouldn't leave his face.

"We promised you that we would, buddy," Nathan said gently, giving Jamie's shoulder a squeeze.

"Jamie, how about you take Nathan and Haley to the couch and let them get comfortable?" Quinn offered with a smile.

Jamie eagerly nodded his head and grabbed each of his parent's hands, practically dragging them over to the couch. He crawled his way back onto the couch and patted the leather on either side of him, signaling them to sit down on either side of him. Once they were settled, Quinn began the session

"Okay, we're going to start today with talking a little bit more about Mr. Ian, is that okay with you Jamie?" Quinn asked, her eyes honing in on the little boy.

Jamie shrugged his shoulders in an indifferent manner. "Okay."

Quinn flashed an encouraging smile. "Can you describe to me what a normal day with Mr. Ian was like?"

"I would wake up and he would have breakfast ready for me. It was always my favorite kind of cereal- Lucky Charms! Then, he would call Ms. Heather and when she came over, he would leave. Ms. Heather would let me play in my room or watch TV until lunch or dinner was ready. They left me alone a lot and never really wanted to play with me, even if I begged," Jamie said sadly, a small pout on his lips.

Nathan involuntarily clenched his fists at this new information. Of course, he didn't want those freaks to play with his son but he didn't want them to just ignore him either. He was just a little kid and little kids liked to play.

"Was Mr. Ian ever mean to you when you asked him to play? Or Ms. Heather?" Quinn then asked.

"Sometimes he would yell at me and just say he was busy or that he didn't want to. Sometimes he was nice and would play basketball with me for a little while. Ms. Heather never wanted to play with me," Jamie answered.

"We'll always play with you, Jamie," Haley said softly, rubbing her hand up and down his back.

"Even if you're busy?"

Haley nodded. "Of course. We'll hurry up and finish whatever we're doing so we can play with you."

Jamie smiled at that. "Yay!"

"Does Mr. Ian have anything to do with the fact that you couldn't sleep last night?" Quinn pondered.

"I don't like the dark," Jamie mumbled, looking down. "Mr. Ian used to yell a lot after I went to bed. I even heard him break some things."

There was a certain edge to his voice that made Nathan and Haley uneasy. God, they really hated the fact that Jamie went through so much.

Quinn jotted a few things down in her notes before deciding to change the subject to something happier. "Did you bring any pictures with you guys today?"

Nathan nodded. "Yes, we brought a few." He carefully pulled out an envelope out of his jacket pocket.

"Good. I'm going to let you both take the reins on this one. Just pull out one picture at a time and take turns explaining to Jamie what the picture is. We'll do that until the timer for this session goes off, sound good?"

Nathan nodded as he opened the flap to the envelope and pulled out the first picture. It was a picture of the day Jamie was born. He was wrapped up in a little blue blanket and snuggled closely in Haley's arms. She was smiling brightly at the camera, her face still flushed and her blonde hair matted with sweat. The white hospital gown she was wearing looked a little drenched with sweat as well. Despite all of that, she looked radiant, glowing like a proud mother. Nathan was crouched next to her. His arm securely around her and his other hand touching Jamie. He was, also, dressed in a similar hospital gown, his smile showing nothing but pure love and pride.

"This was taken just moments after you were born," Nathan explained as he showed Jamie the picture.

Jamie's eyes widened curiously at the picture. "I was that small?"

Haley giggled. "Yes, you were. You reminded me of a little peanut."

"I like peanuts!" Jamie giggled back. "Your hair was blonde, like mine! Why didn't you keep your hair that color, Haley?"

Haley shrugged. "I got bored with it, buddy."

"Can I change my hair color if I get bored with it?"

Nathan laughed. "Maybe when you're old enough."

Jamie smiled, clearly satisfied with that answer. "Are there more pictures of me when I was a baby?"

Nathan nodded as he pulled out another picture from the envelope. This one was of Brooke and Lucas with Jamie. Brooke held Jamie tight in her arms as she smiled brightly at the camera. Lucas was standing next to her, an arm tossed over her shoulder. He was looking down at Jamie, his smile just as bright as Brooke's.

"This is your Aunt Brooke and your Uncle Lucas. They're also your Godparents," Nathan explained.

Jamie looked over the picture. "What are Godparents?"

"They're the people that would take care of you if something ever happened to us," Haley answered.

Jamie's little forehead crinkled, his eyes wide. "Is something going to happen to the two of you?" He asked urgently, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Nathan vigorously shook his head. "Of course not, Jamie. They're just there just in case something happens."

Jamie nodded as he looked back over at the picture. They looked like nice and caring people. "Will I get to meet them some day?"

"Do you want to meet them?" Haley asked.

"Yeah. They look like they really love me."

"They do," Nathan said with a smile. "Do you want to see another picture other people that really love you?"

Jamie nodded eagerly.

Nathan pulled out yet another picture from the day that Jamie was born. This time, it was a group photo of Dan, Deb and Haley's parents, Lydia and Jimmy. Haley was in the center, sitting on the hospital bed with Jamie in her arms. It was the perfect candid picture. The two sets of grandparents were standing on either side of the hospital bed, all looking adoringly at Jamie.

"These are your grandparents," Nathan began. "The two on the right are your Grandpa Dan and your Grandma Deb. They're also my parents. The people on the left are your Grandpa Jimmy and your Grandma Lydia, those are Haley's parents."

Jamie smiled happily. "I'm going to get to meet them too, right?"

Haley smiled. "Of course."

"I want to see more pictures!" Jamie demanded.

Nathan laughed as he continued to pull out more pictures. There were a few pictures from their past. Pictures of dates that Nathan and Haley had gone on. Pictures from their wedding, graduation, and so on. Of course, Jamie wanted to hear all about how his parents met and fell in love, which they had no problem explaining to him. There were a few more pictures of him as a baby, playing with Lucas or Brooke or his grandparents. Jamie asked a lot of questions and they eagerly answered. Before they knew it, Quinn's timer was going off, signaling the end of their session.

"Ms. Quinn," Jamie spoke up after the timer was shut off. "Will I be able to go home with Nathan and Haley soon?"

Both, Nathan and Haley, felt as if their hearts had stopped beating at Jamie's question. They wanted nothing more than to take him home and spend as much time as possible with him.

"Do you want to go home with them, Jamie?"

He nodded eagerly. "Yes."

She smiled at him before shifting her gaze back to Nathan and Haley. "I think we could work some things out."

Their goodbye was just as hard as the first time they had to leave Jamie behind but there was an underlying notion of hope coloring it. Once again, Jamie made them promise that they would be back tomorrow, sealed with another pinky promise and a hug. Once they were in the hall, Quinn turned to talk to the couple.

"I want to keep him here over the weekend before we start making moves to have him going home with you. I think a few more sessions couldn't hurt plus, I want to make some more progress on his socialization. Is that alright with you?" Quinn asked with a comforting smile.

Haley nodded. "As much as we'd love to take him home right now, I don't want to rush into anything that might make him uncomfortable later."

"I don't think anything could make him uncomfortable around the two of you," Quinn dismissed. "He's opened up so well and he really connects with you both. But, it's better to be safe than sorry. Have you figured out any living arrangements?"

Nathan nodded. "We're going to move into Haley's apartment for the time being until we find a house."

"That sounds like a good plan," Quinn complimented. "Have you thought about any career moves yet?"

Haley shook her head. "Honestly, no. We're kind of just taking on step at a time."

"That's completely okay," Quinn reassured. "So we'll see you both tomorrow?"

"Of course."

~x~

Haley wiped her hand against the mirror, eliminating the condensation that had gathered there. She tightened the towel around her body and let out a deep breath of air as she stared at herself in the mirror. The last month and half had taken a toll on her, her reflection only corroborating that claim. Her cheeks looked sunken in and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her skin was pale, almost too pale.

She was emotionally and physically exhausted. Her nights were spent staring at the ceiling and dancing her fingers across Nathan's bare chest. Normally, all she needed was the feel of his arms wrapped around her and the sound of his heartbeat to lure her to sleep, but her worries were too big for that method to work. She was worried about Jamie. She was worried about Nathan. She was worried about Ian.

Even though they had a plan in place to finally put an end to this, she couldn't help but still feel unsafe and on edge.

Today with Jamie had given her somewhat of a breather, though. The fact that he wanted to come home with her and Nathan meant everything. She had been so scared that he was never going to open up to them or that he was always going to be afraid of them but she was elated to find that it was the complete opposite. At least something in their quest to rebuild their family was working out.

In the reflection of the mirror, she saw Nathan appear behind her. A matching towel was wrapped snuggly around his waist, as well. As soon as they got home from seeing Jamie, they had decided they both needed something to help them relax. So, Nathan drew a warm bubble bath for the both of them and they spent the last forty five minutes just lying in each other's arms. There was a few stolen kisses and soft caresses but it was mostly just them enjoying the feel of each other.

Nathan walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest. A small smirk etched his features when a shiver ran through her body but it didn't last long. He could see the worry and pain written all over his face and it killed him. She looked as exhausted as he felt and he couldn't help but feel responsible. Leaning his head down, he placed a series of soft kisses against the slope of her shoulder and up the side of her neck. Her eyes fell closed and a few soft sighs emitted from her lips at this gesture.

"I'm sorry," He whispered painfully when he reached the shell of her ear.

Haley's eyes snapped opened at the sound of his voice. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"But I do," He mumbled. "All of this pain you're feeling and all of this shit you're going through is happening because I couldn't control my anger and resist one stupid fight."

Haley sighed as she twisted in his arms so she was facing him. Reaching up, she palmed his cheek and forced his eyes to meet her gaze. "Nathan, you were eighteen. You were young and dare I say it, kind of a hot head. It didn't help matters that Ian was pushing your buttons."

Nathan sighed, tightening his grip on Haley's waist. "I should have walked away. I should have ignored him and kept walking. But, the way he was talking about you, all of those inane and vulgar things he was saying about you…I just couldn't. And then when he touched you, God, I just lost it."

Haley felt her eyes flood with tears as Nathan was visibly choking up. His eyes were red and rimmed with tears. A single tear fell down his cheek and she quickly wiped it away. "You can't blame yourself for this, baby. Maybe fighting him wasn't the best thing to do but you didn't make him go insane like he did. You didn't force him to take Jamie from us or for him to torture us. He did that all on his own."

"But-"

"Nathan, stop it," She demanded, her voice hoarse. "This is not your fault. None of this is your fault."

His fingers dug into the flesh of her waist as he took a deep breath. "I just hate seeing you like this. I hate that you're in pain. I hate that our family is so fucked up."

Standing up on her tippy toes, she pressed the softest of kisses against his lips. "I know, baby, I know. But, we're going to be okay. For the first time in a while, I truly believe that."

"God, I love you," Nathan breathed out before claiming her lips in a searing kiss. She always knew exactly what to say to calm his fears or to make him feel better. She was his safe haven, his peace.

Haley instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing her body closer to his. She opened her mouth over his, allowing the kiss to deepen. She could already feel the Nathan filled hazy clouding up her mind. A small moan escaped her when she felt Nathan trace in the inner crevices of her mouth with his tongue. When she couldn't fight off the need to breathe any longer, she broke the kiss, her chest heaving up and down.

Nathan pressed his forehead against hers, their hot breath mingling together as they both panted. His heart was thudding loudly in his chest. "I want you to be my wife, again, Haley," He declared passionately.

Haley pulled away from his embrace just enough to see his face clearly. Her eyebrows were threaded in confusion. "I'm already your wife."

A small smile spread across his face at her referring to herself as his wife. "I know but," He began, reaching up to finger her wedding ring that was still dangling from her cross necklace. "I want you to be my _wife_ again. I want to see this ring on your finger again, to show the whole world that you're mine. I want to wear my ring again, to show the whole world that I'm yours. I want that again, Haley."

Haley felt a warmth spread through her at his words as a tearful smile painted her face. She wiggled out of his embrace and grabbed his hand, pulling her with him until they were back inside of his room. Letting go of his hand, she walked over to his desk where he that envelope of memorabilia she discovered a few weeks back. Reaching into it, she searched around until her fingers found exactly what she was looking for.

She pulled the little gold band out of the envelope and smiled as she twirled it between her fingers. Placing the envelope back on the desk, she walked over to Nathan and grabbed his left hand. A smile never leaving her face as she slid the ring back to the place it always belonged. "I want that too," She whispered.

Nathan felt as if his heart was in his throat. His hands were shaking as he reached up to unclasp her necklace. When he felt it loosen from her neck, he gentle removed it and slid the ring off of the chain and into his palm. Repeating her actions, he lifted her left hand up and slid the ring into place. A sense of immense pride washed over him as the ring glinted in the moonlight.

Once Haley's necklace was back around her neck, Nathan pulled her into a passionate kiss, which she eagerly responded to. He held her tightly as they tumbled to the bed. It didn't take long for the towels that were wrapped around their bodies to be discarded and their bodies to become one. Nathan laced their fingers together as he held their hands together above Haley's head. Their movements were slow and passionate, soft moans and sighs filled the room.

"I love you, so much," Haley breathed out, her voice laced with passion.

Nathan captured her lips in a sweet kiss before nuzzling his head in the crook of her neck. "I love you, too," He mumbled against her damp skin.

It didn't take long for their bodies to reach completion, their respective names falling off their partner's lips in soft chants. Nathan felt boneless as he rolled off of Haley, his breathing labored. On cue, Haley curled into his side, her head resting on his chest. Sleep came quickly for them both.

They both knew that they were about to embark on a whole new journey. It was the beginning of the end of the worst times of their lives, or so they hoped. The anxiety was high and their fear was almost palpable, but at least they had each other. Jamie was finally going to come home and if everything went well, they were finally going to get rid of Ian Banks.


	17. Chapter 18

Thank you all for your wonderful support. I feel like I tell you guys this every update but I just don't want you all to forget!

There is a time jump in this chapter. It's not a huge one, it's only about a 2 week time jump. I thought it was about to get very redundant if I took the time to write out every session with Jamie. Plus, honestly, I think I would have ran out of ways to keep the meetings interesting and not the same thing over and over again. Eventually, it probably would have gotten kind of boring so...time jump! I know that this chapter and the previous chapter were a little shorter than chapters have been in the past. I didn't want to smash everything together in one chapter so I spaced things out a little. I can guarantee you that the remaining chapters will be back to my usual length.

Also, I only have two weeks of my semester left and they are about to be the two busiest week of my life. I have an important exam, two projects, and two essays that are due within the next two weeks. I cannot promise that I am going to be able to update either one of my stories during these next two weeks. I am going to try but I don't want to get anyone's hopes up. Even though this story is finished, I still have to go through and edit the updates before I post them and that isn't going to be my first priority. I haven't had the chance to write ahead in Colors yet so that one might take me a little a longer. If I get some free time or something, then maybe. I'm just asking you all to be patient with me. Once this semester is over with, I'm free of any responsibilities (besides work) until the end of August, so I should be able to update quite frequently!

* * *

"Hales, where do you want this box?" Lucas called as he stepped through the front door on her apartment, a giant box of Nathan's things wrapped in his arms.

"Um, you can just put it in the bedroom. I'm not really sure where Nathan wants what," Haley yelled back from the room she had deemed Jamie's. She had spent the last hour or so making sure everything in that room was perfect. She had lost count of how many times she had adjusted the white and blue striped comforted that adorned the full sized bed. Or how many times she scanned over the toys she and Nathan bought for him, making sure she had at least one of everything Jamie liked.

Jamie was finally coming home after about two and half weeks of sessions with Quinn and staying in the Children's Psychology Department ward. It had been a stressful yet rewarding two and a half weeks. The sessions gradually got longer but that just meant it became more and more difficult for Nathan and Haley to leave Jamie once they were over. Quinn had insisted that it would be the best thing for Jamie to keep him there a little longer, especially when it came to re-socializing him. As much as it killed Nathan and Haley to leave him behind, they weren't going to argue, not when it came to Jamie's wellbeing.

Jamie had improved greatly over the course of the sessions. For starters, his social skills improved immensely. He was still required to attend an outpatient session with Quinn at least once a week but, according to Quinn, he would be ready to go to enroll in school by the next school year. He also continued to open up to them. He hadn't revealed much more about Ian, just the fact that they moved around a lot because Ian was always scared someone was going to find them or that Ian left him alone a lot of the time. Ignoring the pain that Haley felt every time Jamie mentioned Ian, each session felt like one step closer to being the perfect family that she had always dreamt of.

Quinn had allowed Nathan to take Jamie outside a few times and, of course, they played a few rounds of various different basketball games. "HORSE" was Jamie's favorite. They had spent a decent amount of time coloring with him or playing with his favorite toys. It was in those moments that Haley could pretend that they weren't within the four walls of an FBI department and there wasn't a crazy psycho on the loose, trying to harm her family. It was those moments that kept her hope alive.

Jamie was still only referring to them as "Nathan" and "Haley." That was something that bothered her a lot more than she liked to admit. Quinn had reassured her many times that Jamie would eventually come around to calling them "mom" and "dad", but it still scared her. Every time Jamie referred to her by her first name, it felt as if they were taking a step in the wrong direction. It was a reminder that things weren't back to normal, whatever normal was.

"Nathan should be back with Jamie soon, right?" Brooke asked as she made her way into her old room and Jamie's new room. She smiled as she took in the room. It looked like the perfect room fit for a little boy. The sky blue walls, the bookshelf full of children's books, the toy chest, and the small Fisher Price basketball net…it was all perfect.

Haley turned around to face Brooke, a nervous yet joyful smile on her face. "Yeah, they should be here any minute now."

"You're nervous," Brooke stated, obviously.

"Try terrified."

Brooke let out a small laugh before walking over to Haley. She placed her hands on her shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze. "Jamie is going to love it. I'm sure you could have given him a couch to sleep on and a closet for a room and he would still love it just because of the mere fact it came from you and Nathan."

Haley sighed deeply. "I know. It's just, biologically, I've been a mother for seven years but in reality, I only have about a year under my belt. I'm still so new at this and I just don't want to screw it up, especially given the circumstances."

"There is no way that you could screw any of this up. From what you told me about your sessions with Jamie, I can tell that, that little boy absolutely loves you and Nathan. Why else would he be so open with the both of you?" Brooke said softly before dropping her hands from Haley's shoulders.

A grateful smile spread across Haley's face. "I guess you're right."

"I'm always right," Brooke giggled with a flip of her hair.

Haley playfully rolled her eyes. "I bet you're excited to meet Jamie."

Brooke nodded. "I'm ecstatic. Luke is, too. It's about time we cash in our roles as Godparents. Did you get ahold your parents?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah. They're currently in Vegas visiting Taylor. Apparently, she got a job as an exotic dancer on the Vegas strip."

"Sounds like Taylor," Brooke snorted.

"Yeah," Haley agreed with an amused smile. "I was finally able to tell them everything that has been happening over the last month or so. Needless to say, they're hopping on the first flight they can back to Tree Hill."

"That's good," Brooke commented. "It'll be good to have some more support around here."

Haley smiled softly, nodding her head. "Are you all settled in at Lucas'?

Brooke nodded. "Yeah. Almost everything is unpacked, except for my clothes. That's going to take a while."

Haley giggled before her expression turned serious. "Thank you again for doing this, Brooke. I can't tell you how much this means to me and Nathan."

"It's no problem. You guys are family and family looks out for each other," Brooke said sincerely. "But, I have to ask, have you guys discussed what you're going to do once this is all over with?"

"Kind of," Haley mumbled. "The headquarters for Nathan's department of the FBI is stationed in New York but he's been looking at transferring to a smaller unit here in Tree Hill."

"He wants to stay in the FBI?" Brooke questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

Haley shrugged. "He's not really sure. He could always go back to Tree Hill High and be a basketball coach but that seems kind of boring in comparison to what he's been doing for the last few years."

"And what do you think?"

"Honestly, it doesn't really matter to me, as long as we're together and our family is together. I'll admit, this whole FBI agent thing scares me a little but if that's what he wants to do, I won' t hold him back," Haley responded.

"What about you? Are you still going to work at Levi's?" Brooke asked next.

Haley chewed on the insider of her cheek as she slowly shook her head. This was something that she had thought a lot about. Being a waitresses at Levi's was just something that she and Brooke decided to do because they were low on money. Haley had lost all her desire to put her teaching degree to use and Brooke was going through a rough time in her life where she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. They had made a pact with each other that they would only keep that job until at least one of them found more solid ground.

"I was actually thinking of maybe putting that very expensive piece of paper I have hanging up in the study to use," Haley mumbled, the gnawing on her cheek only increasing.

Brooke's eyes widened, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Are you serious?"

Haley nodded. "Even though I never got to experience being a teacher, I still feel like it is what I was meant to do with my life. So, once this is all over with and we're all settled, whether that's here or in New York, I'm going to start looking for a teaching job."

"It's about time, Tutor Girl!" Brooke squealed, pulling Haley into a tight hug.

Haley laughed, wrapping her arms around Brooke. "Tutor Girl? Wow, I don't think you've called me that since college."

"It seemed fitting," Brooke said with a smile.

"Brooke! Haley! Nathan's back!" Lucas' voiced echoed through the apartment, causing them to both break from their hug.

Haley felt the butterflies immediately start to swarm around in her stomach. With a smile, she looked at Brooke and said, "Are you ready to meet your Godson?"

Brooke could feel the tears start to well up in her eyes as she nodded. "Of course."

The duo walked back to the front of the apartment to see Lucas sitting on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. Seconds later, the front door swung open and Nathan walked through, Jamie in his arms. Jamie was smiling happily, his arms tightly wrapped around Nathan's neck. It was a picture perfect moment and Haley swore her heart was in her throat. Would seeing Jamie ever not feel surreal?

Brooke and Lucas were equally in awe as their eyes landed on the little boy in Nathan's arms. Nathan and Haley were right…he was perfect, the perfect mixture of the both of them. Brooke couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks even if she tried. Lucas was sure his heart was going to beat out of his chest. There wasn't any combination of words to describe the feelings they were experiencing at this moment.

"Jamie, there are two people that I want you to meet," Nathan said softly as he placed Jamie on the ground before kneeling beside him.

Jamie looked over at Brooke and instantly recognized her from a few of the pictures that his parent's had showed him. He looked over at Nathan who was giving him an encouraging smile. Looking back at Brooke, Jamie hesitated when he saw she was crying. Through her tears, she gave him a kind smile and with that, Jamie proceeded to walk over to her.

"You're my Aunt Brooke," Jamie said quietly once he was standing right in front of her.

Brooke squatted down so that she was eye level with Jamie, her eyes twinkling and her smile bright. She gently grabbed his tiny hands, rubbing her thumbs across the bank of his hands. "Yes, I am."

Jamie smiled at that. Brooke's kind eyes caused all of the apprehension he felt to melt away. He decided that he liked Brooke. "Nathan and Haley have shown me a lot of pictures of you. They told me that you loved me."

Brooke glanced at Haley who gave her a warm smile. She smiled back before looking back at Jamie. "I do love you. I love you very much, almost as much as your mom and dad do. And, I made a promise to your mom that I was going to spoil you. So, whenever you want something, you just come to me, okay?"

Jamie giggled, nodding his head. "Okay."

Brooke smiled. "Okay, now come on, let's go say 'hi' to your Uncle Lucas." She stood up and extended her hand. Jamie eagerly gripped on to her fingers and followed her over to the kitchen table where Jamie saw Lucas sitting. Just like Brooke, Lucas smiled at him as he slid out of the chair.

"Hey, little man," Lucas cooed as she bent down to Jamie's level. "The last time I saw you, you were this small." He brought his hands up and placed them together to show just how small Jamie was.

"I'm not that size anymore!" Jamie exclaimed.

Lucas smiled, shaking his head. "No, you're not. You're like, what, 40 years old now?"

Jamie shook his head, giggling. "No, I'm seven and a half!"

"Close enough," Lucas chuckled.

Nathan and Haley watched from the sidelines as Jamie interacted with Lucas and Brooke. He seemed to fit right in with them and there were no signs of him being uncomfortable around them. Haley smiled at that as she leaned more into Nathan, his arm banding around her waist. Nathan leaned forward to press a delicate kiss against her forehead.

"How are you feeling, baby?" Nathan asked Haley a second later.

Haley sighed. "Happy. Scared. Nervous."

Nathan rubbed a hand up and down her back. "I feel the same way. At least he's home. At least we're together again."

Haley's lips curled up into a half smile. "Have you spoken to your father?"

Nathan nodded. "He's on his way over right now. The undercover squad cars are already stationed outside. Clay and Peyton are talking to the officers that are going to be stationed at the entrances right now."

"Who's going to be stationed outside of our front door?"

"Clay and Peyton are going to switch off."

Haley nodded. The butterflies were back in her stomach but this time for a whole different reason. Even though she was on board with this plan, she was still nervous. The fact that they were basically inviting Ian near their home when Haley wanted to stay as far away from him as possible made her a little uneasy. She just prayed that this all worked out in their favor so she and her family could finally live in peace.

There was a knock at the door and Nathan turned to look through the peep hole. When he saw Dan, Clay, and Peyton standing outside, he lifted the lock and swung the door open.

"Is he here?" Dan asked as soon as the door opened.

Nathan nodded, a smile on his face. "Would you like to meet him?"

Dan smiled, nodding his head.

Nathan opened the door wider and allowed the three of them to walk through the door. Lucas and Brooke paused their playing with Jamie to look up at who had entered the apartment. They both smiled when they saw Dan. Jamie turned to look, too. He recognized Clay and Peyton from that day in the hotel. He also recognized the new man. He was another person he had seen in a bunch of pictures Nathan and Haley had shown him.

Dan took a few slow steps towards Jamie. He looked just as in awe of him as Brooke and Lucas did. "Hi Jamie, I'm your Grandpa Dan."

"I know," Jamie beamed.

"You look just like your dad did when he was your age," Dan marveled, the bewilderment clear on his face. Despite the blonde hair, which Dan was sure came from Haley, he was almost a spitting image of young Nathan.

Jamie smiled proudly at that. "I want to see pictures!"

Dan nodded. "The next time I stop by, I'll bring some with me. Now go play with your Aunt Brooke and Uncle Lucas while I talk to your mom and dad, okay?"

"Will you come play with us too?"

"Yes," Dan said. "Of course."

Satisfied, Jamie squealed excitedly before running back over to Brooke and Lucas.

Dan turned around to face Nathan and Haley. "He's beautiful."

Nathan grinned. "I know. He's perfect."

Dan smiled before his facial expression turned serious. "Everything is set and everyone is in their positions."

"Clay and I have decided to switch off every six hours," Peyton spoke up. "We grabbed these walkie talkies from the office before we came. We figured it would be the easiest way to stay in touch just in case one of us sees something." She pulled one the walkie talkies out of her pockets and handed it over to Nathan.

"Sounds good," Nathan mumbled.

The anxiety was high between the five of them. They all knew that this could go wrong very quickly and it had them all on edge, especially Nathan and Haley.

"We're not going to let anything bad happen to any of you," Clay promised, noticing just how nervous Haley looked. She hadn't stopped biting her lip since he walked in. "I know this seems like the impossible thing to ask but just keep your focus on Jamie. Let us deal with everything else, okay?"

Haley met Clay's gaze and gave a short nod. "We'll try."

Dan clapped his hands together. "Okay, everything is all set. Oh, and by the way, Nate, your mom's going to stop by after work. She figured she would give you guys the day to settle in before she headed over. She's shutting down the café about 8."

"Perfect."

~x~

It only took about three hours and a lot of Jamie's help before all of Nathan's things were moved in. Jamie had insisted on trying on every single one of Nathan's shirts, shouting about how he couldn't wait until he grew into his clothes. Brooke and Lucas had left about two hours ago, leaving the Scott family to have some alone time. They needed it. Peyton was at her post outside of their apartment, only three hours left until her and Clay switched.

Jamie was currently perched on the edge of the counter, his small legs dangling off of the side. He watched in pure curiosity as Haley and Nathan moved around the kitchen, preparing his favorite dinner- macaroni and cheese. It made Jamie happy to see how big Haley smiled when he said that, exclaiming that, that must have a been a trait he inherited from her since her favorite food was macaroni and cheese, as well.

He found that he enjoyed watching Nathan and Haley interact. He loved watching the way Nathan occasionally watched Haley when she wasn't looking, the adoration clear in his eyes. Or the way Haley would randomly kiss Nathan when he least expected it. It was clear that they really loved each other and Jamie felt a warmth and a sense of security with them that he hadn't ever felt before. There was no doubt in his mind that these were his parents and he couldn't be happier.

Of course, he was still a little nervous. He had spent most of his short life living with someone who wasn't related to him, someone who had taken him. Jamie didn't quite understand why he was taken from his parents or who Mr. Ian was. He just knew that Mr. Ian was a bad guy and that he needed to stay away from him. Jamie was completely okay with that. Mr. Ian wasn't the nicest person to him. He normally just ignored him, with the exception of the rare times he showed him pictures or played basketball with him. He didn't shower him with love, not like Nathan and Haley did.

"Hey, little man, what's got you smiling over there?" Haley asked as she began to stir the pot of noodles.

Jamie shrugged. "I'm happy."

Nathan felt his heartbeat accelerate at that. "So, you like it here?"

Jamie nodded. "It's pretty here. It looks like a real home."

Nathan smiled. "You haven't even seen your bedroom yet."

Jamie's eyes light up. "I have my own room?"

Haley giggled, placing the plastic spoon she used to stir the noodles with back on the spoon rest. "Of course you do. Did you not have your own room with Mr. Ian?"

"I did, but I just know the room you guys have for me is going to be much better!" Jamie exclaimed, the swinging of his legs only increasing in speed with his excitement. "Can I see it?"

"Let's go," Nathan exclaimed. He walked over to Jamie and lifted him off the counter, placing him back on the floor.

Nathan kept Jamie's hand enclosed in his as he led him back to his bedroom, Haley trailing close behind them. Once they reached the bedroom door, Nathan released Jamie's hand. With an encouraging smile, he said, "Go on and open the door, Jamie."

Like a kid on Christmas morning, Jamie wasted no time reaching up to turn the handle. Once he had the door open, Jamie ran inside, his eyes wide with excitement. The first thing he noticed he was the large toy chest at the foot of his bed. Running over to the red and white chest, he swung open the top and cheered happily when he looked inside. There was everything from toy cars to coloring books to basketballs. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small basketball hoop and immediately closed the toy chest.

"A basketball hoop!" Jamie yelled happily. "Daddy, can we play?"

Nathan and Haley both froze.

Nathan swallowed thickly, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Had he heard Jamie right? Was he dreaming? When he looked at Haley and saw the shock in her eyes, he figured he couldn't have been dreaming. Taking a few closer to Jamie, he crouched down. "What did you just say, son?"

"I said, 'daddy, can we play?'" Jamie repeated, much quieter this time. He couldn't read the expression on Nathan's face and it made him nervous. Had he said something wrong?

"You called me daddy. Why? " Nathan breathed out.

Jamie furrowed his eyebrows as he nodded his head. "Well, you _are_ my dad."

Nathan chuckled nervously. "You're right. It's just…you've been calling me Nathan for the past few weeks. I guess I just wasn't expecting you to call me that so soon."

"Oh," Jamie murmured, the realization hitting him. He hadn't even realized that he said "daddy" instead of "Nathan." It had just slipped out like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Do you want me to call you Nathan instead?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, unless you want to call me that."

It was Jamie's turn to shake his head. "No, I want to call you daddy."

Nathan couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. "Well, then it's settled."

Haley quickly wiped the tears away from her eyes as she watched Jamie give Nathan a hug. The sight of them warmed her heart and that glimpse of hope of having a happy ending was back. Was she a little jealous that Jamie had said "daddy" first? Yes, but it was a harmless kind of jealous. The kind of jealous she was sure she would have felt if life had gone as planned and Jamie's first word would have been "daddy" instead of "mommy."

One step at a time, she reminded herself.

"So, can we play?" Jamie repeated a third time.

"Sure, buddy, but after dinner. Sound good?"

Jamie smiled, nodding his head. "Okay!"

Nathan patted him on the back as he stood up. "Now go wash up for dinner while your mom and I finish making it." With that, Jamie took off running to the bathroom.

With a slight smirk on his face, Nathan turned to face Haley. "You remember that bet we made when Jamie was born?"

Haley's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. She knew exactly where this was going. "I don't recall."

"Well let me remind you then," Nathan said as his smirk deepened. "You know, the bet we made over if Jamie was going to say 'mommy' or 'daddy' first? We made it as soon as we brought Jamie home from the hospital. We even sealed it with a kiss."

Haley rolled her eyes. "What about it?"

Gripping on to her waist, he pulled her closer. He dipped his head down so that his lips were hovering over her ear. "I'm ready to cash in my winning prize now," He purred huskily.

Despite herself, Haley shivered, the goosebumps rising on skin. She could have easily given in but she didn't for two reasons. One, she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. Technically, Nathan hadn't won the bet. They bet on what Jamie's first word would be, not whether he would say "mommy" or "daddy" first. And two, Jamie was just in the other room. "Down boy, your son is literally right outside of this room."

Nathan backed away from Haley just enough so he could see her fully, a smile on his face. "Do you know how good it feels to hear you say that?" The teasing tone had melted from his voice, only to be replaced by genuine happiness.

Haley returned the smile. "I think I have a pretty good idea."

~x~

Haley was laying across the couch in the living room, her legs tucked underneath her and a couple of pillows supporting her upper body. Nathan and Jamie were playing basketball, in their living room. Jamie had begged her to allow him to bring the basketball hoop into the living room so that she could watch them play. He wanted to show her his "skills", or so he put it. She had to admit, even though they were playing with a fisher price ball and Jamie was only seven, she could already tell he had talent and love for the game. She ignored the fact that Ian could have had a part in that and just chose to believe Jamie had inherited it from Nathan.

It absolutely warmed her heart to see them interact the way they did. A smile never left Jamie or Nathan's face. Nathan had fell into the role of a father nicely, almost as if he had the last six years under his belt instead of only one. For the first time that day, she felt completely relaxed. All of her worries and fears were pushed to the back of her mind.

Glancing at the clock, Haley noticed that it was getting kind of late and Jamie had a session with Quinn early tomorrow morning. Scooting herself out of the couch, she clapped her hands together to get Nathan and Jamie's attention. "I think it's someone's bedtime."

Jamie paused in his movements, a pout clear on his face. "Do I have to?"

Haley smiled warmly. "Yes, you do. You have to be up early tomorrow morning."

Jamie groaned, dropping the basketball from his grip. "Fine."

Nathan laughed with a shake of his head. "We can play more tomorrow."

Jamie sighed as he dragged his feet across the carpet. Haley laughed as she ruffled his hair, following behind him as he walked towards his room. Once inside of his room, Haley helped Jamie pick out a pair of pajamas out of his dresser, all of which were new. When Jamie settled on a pair, Haley helped him get dressed before he crawled into bed. Haley climbed into on one side of him while Nathan sat on the opposite side.

"Are you afraid, Jamie?" Nathan asked, wrapping his arm around Jamie's shoulders.

Jamie shrugged. "Not anymore."

"Do you still think about what happened with Mr. Ian?" Haley questioned him, bracing herself for his answer.

"Sometimes," Jamie mumbled. "Sometimes I have nightmares."

It broke Nathan's heart to hear him say that. He never wanted Jamie to feel afraid or to be in pain. "You do?"

Jamie nodded. "But I haven't had one in a while. Not since I found out that I was coming home with you guys!"

Haley smiled at that. "Are you going to be okay in here tonight, buddy? Or do you want to sleep with us?"

"I think I'll be okay in here," Jamie said softly.

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked. He needed to be sure. The last thing he wanted was for Jamie to have a hard time sleeping or to be scared.

Jamie nodded.

"We can stay in here until you fall asleep, if you'd like," Haley offered up.

"I'd like that."

"And just remember, if you need anything, our room is right next door. You just come right in, okay?" Nathan explained, giving Jamie a tight squeeze.

Jamie nodded before snuggling himself deeper into the covers. He let out a small yawn. Unlike the facility that Jamie was staying at, he felt safe here, especially with his mom and his dad sitting right beside him. "Goodnight, mommy. Goodnight, daddy."

It was Haley's turn for her heart beat to accelerate. A feeling of absolute euphoria washed over her. She had been waiting for this moment for what felt like forever and she hadn't expected him to say it so soon, even after he called Nathan "daddy", but she wasn't going to argue. She leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead.

"Goodnight. We love you."

~x~

"I feel like I've said this at least a thousand times in the last few weeks but I can't get over how surreal this all feels," Nathan exclaimed as he sat down on the couch next to Haley, handing her a glass full of red wine.

Haley sighed, cuddling up next to Nathan. "I know. I'm scared to fall asleep tonight and then wake up tomorrow morning to find that this was all just a dream."

Nathan let out a dry chuckle. "I wish I could fully bask in the glory of all this."

"What do you mean?"

Nathan sighed, taking a sip of his own wine. "I just mean, as happy as I am that Jamie is here and that we had such a good day today, I still can't help but feel a little on edge and a little afraid. I suppose that's never going to go away. Not until Ian is out of our lives forever."

"I know what you mean," Haley mumbled. "I know that Clay said for us not to worry but I can't help but worry. I have hope, I do, but there's just this small sliver of doubt inside of me. It keeps fighting its way through me and I keep trying to push it back but I know that I can't get rid of it completely."

Nathan pulled Haley closer to him, his arms encasing her in a tight embrace. Brushing his lips against her forehead, he rested his chin on her head. "You can't let it win."

"I know."

They sat in silence, just taking in the feeling of being so close to one another. Haley snuggled closer into Nathan's chest, her eyes shutting at the sound of his heartbeat. She took a calming breath, willing her brain and her body to just relax. It was then that she heard a soft knock on the front door. Her eyes snapped open and she looked over at the clock to see that it was quarter to nine.

"That must be your mom," She said as she began to sit up. "I'll get it."

Nathan nodded, moving over so that Haley could get off of the couch.

She walked over to the front door and undid the lock. She swung open the door, a bright smile on her face. She was just about to say "Hi, Deb!" when the words died on her lips. She felt her throat close up and her blood run cold when she saw who was standing in the doorway. Her whole entire body froze. She couldn't think. She couldn't move. She couldn't do anything but stare, her heart beating so fast she wasn't sure if it was actually still beating.

"Well, aren't you going to invite me in?" A snarly voice said.

Ian Banks.

He was here.

In front of her.


	18. Chapter 19

For those of you wondering about Sweet Mystery, I didn't delete it. It was reported as abuse for going against Fanfiction's guidelines. I'm not really sure why someone reported it but I am currently talking with someone to get it back. I'm sorry to those of you who really loved that story. I am trying my hardest!

Ian showed up pretty quick, huh? I know most of y'all weren't expecting him to show up so soon and I'll be honest, that's part of the reason I decided to have him show up as quick as he did. I wanted it be kind of a shock. How he got passed all of the FBI agents and stuff will be explained in this chapter. I'll be honest, I teared up while writing this chapter. I normally don't get emotional over my own writing and I honestly cannot recall a time where something I've written has made me cry. I hope you all like this chapter. It's pretty lengthy but that's only because I really didn't want to split it into two chapters. It's the climax of the story and I didn't want to drag it out. Only two more left before the epilogue!

P.S. This took me waaay longer than it should have, which I apologize for. My sister-in-law unexpectedly went into labor last Monday night. (It's girl!) She was about three weeks early and of course there were some complications. I've been at the hospital pretty much all day for the last week and then by time I got home, I was just too tired to do anything. The baby and my sister-in-law are doing better now and are back home. I'm officially an aunt, how exciting!

P.S.S. If you got an email for an update/ it showed that I updated and then it wasn't there, I apologize. This website was acting really weird last night. I went to upload the chapter and it kept telling me there was an error and that it could't be uploaded. Then when I went and looked, the chapter uploaded but then it wasn't showing up on the preview and it was all a big giant mess. I deleted the chapter like three times and the same thing kept happening. It was all just very weird. I think it's fixed now but we'll see, haha.

* * *

 _10 years earlier…_

 _"Yo, Nate, that last shot you made was golden!"_

 _"Congratulations, man! You finally brought that championship trophy back to Tree Hill!"_

 _"You're a legend, man."_

 _The shouts of praise were continuously being thrown at Nathan as he walked up to the packed house. The smirk he was sporting never once faltered as he let the adoration and praise wash over him. Thirty minutes ago, he was standing on the hard maple of the basketball court in Whitey Durham's field house. The adrenaline had been pumping through his veins at a vigorous pace, the sweat pouring down his face in buckets, his heart pounding hard against his ribcage, and the muscles in his legs burning. Thirty minutes ago, he had sunk the winning basket against Pontiac with three seconds remaining on the clock, making the Tree Hill Ravens champions, at last._

 _And damn did it feel good._

 _"Do you realize how fucked up this is?" Lucas said lightheartedly, tossing an arm over Nathan's shoulder. "Without me throwing the ball to you, you would have never made that shot, yet you get all the praise."_

 _"Well, I am the one who did all the real work," Nathan teased, his smirk only deepening._

 _"Oh, fuck you man!" Lucas shouted with a laugh, shoving Nathan playfully._

 _Nathan laughed before glancing around the party. "Where are the girls?"_

 _"They'll be here soon. They went back to Brooke's to get changed out of their uniforms and to touch up their make-up and what not," Lucas answered with a dismissive wave of his hand._

 _"Yeah, Haley told me that. I just figured they would be here by now," Nathan mumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He didn't mean to sound like a needy or clingy boyfriend, but he hadn't had a chance to spend much time with Haley over the last few days. Between team meetings, last minute practices, and the game itself, they barely had time to say "hi" to one another. Now that it was all over, she was the only person he felt like celebrating with._

 _"Come on, let's get you a drink," Lucas offered while giving Nathan's shoulder a squeeze. He knew exactly how is brother was feeling because, well, he felt the same way._

 _They both walked to the back of the house where the kegs of beer and jungle juice were located. Lucas picked up a blue plastic cup from the stack of them before handing it over to Nathan. Muttering a 'thanks', Nathan flicked the tab of the keg down and watched as his cup filled with beer. Once they had their drinks, the two brothers headed inside of the house. Finding a set of secluded arm chairs, they plopped their tired bodies down. Everyone around them was dancing but neither of them felt like moving. In fact, their bodies were beat and they would've rather been in their beds, not at some party. But tradition was tradition._

 _Nathan wasn't sitting there long before a pair of hands covered his eyes._

 _"Guess who?" She purred perfectly, her hot breath tickling the side of his neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake._

 _The smirk quickly reappeared on Nathan's face. "Hmm, it sounds like my secret girlfriend. Very daring of you to approach me in public, considering Haley's going to be here any minute now."_

 _Haley rolled her eyes as she removed her hands from over his eyes, moving them down to squeeze his shoulders. "Ha-ha," She deadpanned. "You're so funny."_

 _The hand that wasn't holding his beer reached up to grab one of her hands. He brushed the pad of his thumb against her skin as he tilted his head back to look at her. "You know that I'm just playin'," Nathan said with a smile. "I missed you tonight."_

 _The raw emotion in Nathan's voice brought goosebumps to Haley's skin. She smiled back at him as she scooted around the chair and slid on to his lap. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck while his hands rested on her hips._

 _"I missed you, too," She murmured, snuggling closer to him. As proud as she was of him and as much as she loved to watch him dominate on the court, she couldn't help but feel a small resentment towards basketball at the moment. The only time she was able to see Nathan during the play offs, besides the games, was the passing time in-between classes._

 _Nathan tightened his grip on Haley as he leaned in closer to her. His lips were a mere millimeter away from hers when he heard Lucas clear his throat. Nathan groaned in frustration, his eyes narrowing in disdain towards his brother. All he wanted right now was to kiss his girlfriend, was that too much to ask?_

 _"I don't mean to break up this little love fest but, uh, where's Brooke?" Lucas asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you two were supposed to be coming together?"_

 _"Oh, relax, I'm right here," Brooke announced, seemingly appearing out of thin air. In her arm was a bottle of Barefoot Pink Moscato. "Bevin owed me a bottle of wine."_

 _"Okay, Lucas, your girl is here so you can leave us alone," Nathan said with a teasing smirk before pulling Haley down into a searing kiss. He smiled against her lips when she squealed loudly, her grip on his neck tightening._

 _"Oh, gross," Lucas whined, covering his eyes with his hand._

 _Brooke playfully rolled her eyes. "They've been together for what? Almost two years now? You would think you'd be used to their PDA by now."_

 _"Just because I'm used to it doesn't mean I have to enjoy seeing it," Lucas grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest._

 _Haley reluctantly wretched her mouth away from Nathan, her eyes narrowing. "Like you and Brooke are any better. May I remind you of the time you got yelled at by Whitey for-"_

 _"Okay, okay! We get it," Brooke exclaimed, her cheeks flaming red._

 _Haley giggled at Brooke before shifting her attention back to Nathan. Her fingers threaded themselves through the short hair on the back of his neck. "I never did tell you how proud of you I am. You kicked ass tonight, and looked good while doing it, too."_

 _Nathan laughed, his hand moving in soothing circles across her lower back. "I couldn't have done it without you, Hales."_

 _Haley's stomach filled with butterflies at Nathan's words, a light blush coloring her cheeks. Almost two years of dating and he still made her feel like a little school girl with a crush. She was sure that feeling would never go away. "God, I love you."_

 _"Aw, isn't that sweet?" A voice rang out, the bitter tone almost palpable._

 _Nathan and Haley both turned their heads to see none other than Ian Banks standing in front of them. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and there was a menacing scowl on his face. Haley felt Nathan tense against her and a series of shivers ran down her spine. It was never a good thing when Ian came around. He would taunt Nathan and try to goad him into a physical fight. Haley would need at least two sets of hands to count how many times she'd had to hold Nathan back during one of their encounters._

 _"What the hell are you doing here, Banks? I didn't think they invited the losing team to the after party." Nathan growled while his grip on Haley involuntarily tightened. Ian was always looking at her in a way that made Nathan uneasy. It was like she was a piece of meat or an object of desire in Ian's eyes._

 _"I just thought I would come congratulate you guys on your win," Ian said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders._

 _"Yeah, right," Lucas scoffed from his own chair, Brooke resting beside him. "As soon as the game was over, you looked like you were about to bash our heads in, but now you want to congratulate us?"_

 _"Can't a guy have a change of heart?"_

 _"That would require having a heart," Nathan shot back._

 _Ian smirked. "I don't understand why you all are always so hostile around me. It's getting a little old, don't ya think?"_

 _"I don't understand why you feel the need to harass Nathan, all the time. It's getting a little old, don't ya think?" Haley retorted, clearly mocking him._

 _Nathan couldn't help but smirk at Haley's words. His girl could get real feisty when she wanted to, especially when it came to standing up for the people she cared about. She could definitely hold her own. It was one of the many things that he loved about her._

 _Ian's eyes narrowed but the smirk never faltered. "No one asked you. Why don't you keep that pretty mouth of yours shut like a good little girl and just let the men deal with this."_

 _"I always knew you were arrogant and an asshole, it figures you would add sexist to the list of your endearments," Brooke spoke up, her voice dripping with sarcasm._

 _Ian rolled his eyes. "Oh, not you, too."_

 _Lucas gritted his teeth. "Is there something you want or are you just here to annoy us?"_

 _"I told you, I came here to congratulate you, especially you, Nathan," Ian responded with a sick smile._

 _Nathan shook his head as he patted Haley on the back, signaling for her to stand up. Tonight had been one of the best nights of his life and he wasn't about to let someone like Ian screw it up for him. Lacing his fingers with Haley, he moved to walk past Ian. The sooner he got away from him, the better._

 _"I'm really not in the mood for games tonight, Ian," Nathan said sternly, just as he brushed past him._

 _Ian's jaw clenched. This night wasn't going any way like he planned it. He wanted to rile Nathan up, just to tear him down. He wanted payback. He should be the one basking in the glory of winning the championship, not Nathan. Ever since they were kids, attending the same basketball camps, he's always been second to Nathan and he was sick of it. Seizing the opportunity, he gripped on to Haley's arm and yanked her away from Nathan._

 _"Why don't you stick around, huh? I'm sure we can have some fun of our own tonight," Ian murmured huskily._

 _Haley furrowed her eyebrows, a disgusted look on her face. She opened her mouth to reprimand him for grabbing her but Nathan beat her to it._

 _"Get your hands off of her, now," He gritted out._

 _Ian chuckled, his eyes trailing over Haley. She was wearing a pair of tight black jeans and a purple sweater, the neckline on it quite low. Her blonde hair was tied up in messy bun. She looked good. Ignoring Nathan, he continued to taunt her. Leaning in closer, he pressed his lips to the shell of her ear. "Come on, baby. You know you want to."_

 _Nathan felt his blood begin to boil. The way Ian was touching and looking at Haley had him seeing red. He could never handle other guys leering at Haley, but the fact that it was Ian, pretty much his arch nemesis if this were a hero tale, made it harder to deal with. Nathan stepped forward, shoving Ian anyway from Haley._

 _"I thought I told you not to touch her," Nathan spat. He could vaguely feel Haley beside him, caressing his arm. She was most likely trying to coax him into walking away, but everything but Ian seemed to fade away._

 _"What's the matter, Scott? Worried that your girl might actually take me up on my offer?"_

 _Nathan laughed humorlessly. "Cause that would ever happen."_

 _"I could always make her," Ian snarled, stepping closer to Nathan._

 _Nathan raised his eyebrows, his fists clenching at his sides. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"_

 _"It means that I don't need her permission. Hell, I don't even need yours. Because what I want, I get and what I want?" Ian said as his gaze drifted back to Haley, a baleful look in his eyes "Is Haley."_

 _"You son of a bitch," Nathan growled, his self-control completely snapping. He lunged forward, tackling Ian to the ground._

 _"Nathan!" Haley yelled, desperately._

 _"Nate, stop!" Lucas called out. He attempted to grab Nathan but just ended up being pushed back._

 _By now, the entire party's attention was on the two boys fighting on the floor. Nathan was on top of Ian, laying punch after punch into his jaw. Nathan could feel the pain rip through his body as Ian attempted to fight back. He could hear his friends and his girlfriend yelling at him to stop, but he just couldn't. No one talked about Haley like that. Hell, no guy should ever talk about a girl like that._

 _Using all of his strength, Ian managed to shove Nathan off of him. He stumbled to his feet and wiped the blood that was dripping from his nose on the back of his hand. A crowd had gathered around them and they were all cheering Nathan on. The anger Ian was feeling towards him tripled. Once Nathan was up from the ground, Ian swung his arm to him Nathan square in the face._

 _Nathan gripped his jaw that was now throbbing in pain. He watched as a smug expression crossed Ian's face. "What the hell are you smiling about? I just beat your ass."_

 _"Oh, well, in that case, hey Hales, why don't you come kiss my wounds and make them all better?"_

 _Before Nathan could full register what he was doing, he was shoving Ian. He watched in fear as Ian flew backwards, colliding with the glass door wall that led into the backyard. He heard the glass shatter first, before the piercing scream of agony. The entire party fell silent as they all gathered around to see Ian laying on the ground. He wasn't moving, except for the constant thrashing of his head and the cries of "I can't move! I can't feel anything!"_

 _Nathan gulped, his heart in his throat. He hadn't meant for this to happen. But, it was too late for feelings of guilt, the damage had already been done._

 _~x~_

Nathan blinked hard, trying to clear the fog from his sight. The back of his head was throbbing in pain and his whole body felt as if he had fallen down a flight of stairs. Pushing himself up, he felt the wood floor of his living room underneath his palms. He rubbed the back of his head as he glanced around. _How the hell had he ended up on the living room floor?_

Taking another look around, his heart jumped in his throat when he spotted Haley. She was tied to one of their dining room chairs. Her head was down, her auburn hair serving as a curtain around her face. It was in that moment that everything came rushing back to him-Haley answering the door to see Ian standing there, Clay passed out on the ground, Ian throwing Haley to the ground before hitting him on the back of the head with a baseball bat.

Scurrying off the floor, Nathan ran over to Haley. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and his whole body was trembling. The closer he got to her, the more clearly he could hear her sobbing.

"Haley, baby, are you okay?" He asked desperately as he knelt down in front of her, his hands gripping her shoulders.

Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice and the feel of his touch. His heart started pounding harder in his chest when he saw how red and puffy her eyes were, the tear tracks clear on her face. Some of her auburn hair was matted against her face. There was a cloth in her mouth, preventing her from talking. Quickly, Nathan removed from the cloth from her mouth before gripping her cheeks in his hands.

"Nathan," She sobbed, her body shaking and her heart pounding.

"I got you," He breathed as he wiped the tears from her eyes. "Are you okay? Did he touch you? Where's Jamie? Where's Ian?"

Haley shook her head. "No, he didn't touch me. He just tied me up and walked to the back of the apartment. I don't know where Jamie is. I, oh my God, what if, I," She was stuttering, the panic rising in her voice with every word.

Nathan swallowed thickly. "Just breathe, Hales. Just breathe. I'm going to get you out of here and then we're going to get our son, okay?" It took everything in him to appear to calm. He felt a hundred different emotions pulling inside of his body, threatening to spill out. But he realized that he needed to be strong…for Haley. One thing that his years of being an FBI agent taught him was that it was important to remain calm in a crisis situation. Out bursts of feelings and sudden movements normally made things a lot worse.

He reached for the rope that was tired around Haley's legs, pulling at the knot. Realizing that it was double knotted it and pulled too taut for just his fingers to get it loose, he hopped on to his feet. Dashing into the kitchen, he grabbed the first knife that he saw before running back over to her. The adrenaline seemed to kick in and before he knew it, he was frantically moving the knife against the polypropylene.

"Nathan," Haley choked out. She was terrified, absolutely terrified. Her heart was pounding hard and she felt like she no control over her own body. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, yet wickedly fast at the same time. She couldn't stop picturing herself opening the door to see Ian standing there. Or seeing Nathan on the ground after Ian attacked him. She couldn't stop thinking about Jamie and if he was safe.

Nathan vaguely heard Haley call his name but he was too focused to stop. He had to get her free and then he had to get Jamie. He needed to get them both to safety. Once he got her one leg free, he moved to the next.

"Nathan," Haley tried again, her voice more forceful this time. When he still didn't look up at her, she tried one more time. Finally, he paused what he was doing to look at her.

"What is it?" He asked, hoarsely. He looked around to see if maybe she was hurt anywhere.

"I love you," She declared. She wasn't sure why but she felt the need to say that. Maybe it was the fear. Maybe it was the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I love you, too," Nathan responded, his throat closing up at the utter fear he saw in her eyes.

"Well isn't that sweet."

Nathan froze at the sound of Ian's voice. Every hair on his body was standing up as he slowly turned his head to look at Ian. Ian was leaning against the doorframe, his hands behind his back, and smug smile on his face. Nathan felt his blood boil at the sight of him. Every ounce of fear, anger, and regret he had been feeling over the last ten years of his life, especially the last six, came rushing to the surface.

Ian continued to smile as he pushed himself off the wall and pulled one of his hands from behind his back. Nathan's blood ran cold. Haley inhaled sharply. The fear they were feeling before was nothing compared to now.

A gun. He had a gun.

"Step away from Haley," Ian demanded. The smug smile was replaced a hard scowl. When Nathan didn't move, Ian stepped forward. "Step away from her or I will shoot."

Nathan placed the knife on the ground before slowly standing up from the floor. His hands were in the air, his palms facing outward. His hands were trembling and his breathing was shallow. "Where's Jamie?"

"In his room. I told him to stay in there until I said it was okay to come out. He's fine…for now," Ian replied, the corner of his mouth turning up in a wicked smirk.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Haley gritted out. She yanked her arms, trying to free herself but quickly gave up when it became obvious that her actions were futile. The look on Ian's face made her stomach twist and turn in pain. The bad feeling she had only intensified.

"I didn't say you could talk," Ian spat, shifting the gun from pointing at Nathan to pointing at her. "Don't say even a syllable unless I tell you to."

"But-"

Ian clicked back the firing pin.

"Okay! Okay! She won't say anything else. Just stop pointing the gun at her, alright?" Nathan pleaded. As soon as he saw the gun pointed at her, he saw his heart stopped beating. There was absolutely nothing more terrifying than seeing a gun pointed at Haley. "What did you mean by he's fine for now?"

Ian chuckled at Nathan's desperation. If he were being honest, he felt the most satisfaction out of watching Nathan squirm, especially when it came to the people he loved. He returned the gun to its original position. "You're asking all of the wrong questions, Nate. You should be asking me why I'm doing this or how I got passed all of your little guard dogs. Or maybe how I found you all so quickly or why I let Jamie go without a fight."

Nathan gritted his teeth. He knew Ian wanted to play games and he wasn't going to back down until Nathan agreed to his terms. The fear he was previously feeling was quickly being overwhelmed by anger. Crossing his arms over his chest, he cleared his throat. "Okay, fine. I'll play along. How did you get passed all of our security?"

Ian lowered the gun so that it was rest at his side, a smirk playing on his lips. Casually, he began to pace the length of the floor. "You know, for a group of FBI agents, you all are incredibly stupid."

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "That's a bold statement."

"I'll admit, moving into this apartment in order to draw me out was a smart move. I didn't expect you to do something so…daring. Securing the entrances, also smart move. But what you all failed to realize is if I had insider's helping me before, what makes you think I don't still have some insiders?" Ian said coyly, an eyebrow raised.

"That's impossible," Nathan muttered. A cold sweat had broken out on his skin, his palms clammy. "We cleared out our entire employee database after the first incident. We ran background check after background check, lie detector test after lie detector test. We took every precaution known to man."

Ian shrugged, his smirk deepening. "Maybe I was smarter this time. Besides, after your initial check, you never bothered to conduct another search. Pretty naïve on your part, if you ask me."

"Who is it?" Nathan demanded, his fists clenching at his sides. His mind was racing with every possibility.

Ian held Nathan's gaze, his free hand reaching into his pocket to grab a cell phone. After pressing a few buttons, he held the phone up to his ear. "Mouth, your job is done. I'll send your check in the mail."

Nathan felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Physically, he stumbled backwards, his knees buckling. Mouth? There was no way. Ian had to be lying. Mouth was one of the most genuine guys that Nathan had ever met. He was always quick to help whenever he was needed and always went above and beyond what his job asked him to do.

Ian smiled with satisfaction at Nathan's reaction. Hanging up the phone, he slid if back into his pocket. "You see, Nate, Mouth and I…we go way back. We attended the same Sunday school and he's always been willing to do anything that I asked him to."

"That doesn't make any sense," Nathan mumbled, more to himself than anything. The shock and betrayal was vibrating through him at exceptional levels. "He was always willing to help _me_."

"Anything he told you was because I told him to tell you. Why do you think he led you straight to Steven and Teddy? Or straight to the hotel that I was keeping Jamie in? He didn't suddenly have epiphany after epiphany, he was just relaying information to you from me. Kind of how he was relaying information about you to me. Like exactly when your little guard dogs completed shift changes, for example," Ian explained and it took everything in Nathan to not wipe that stupid smirk off his face.

Nathan felt absolutely sick to his stomach. He trusted Mouth. In fact, he trusted Mouth the most out of everyone. How could he have never seen the signs? Now that he thought about it, it did seem bizarre that Mouth seemed to always catch a break at the most opportune times. But, why? Why did Ian want him to know those things?

"What exactly do you want, Ian? Why are you going through all of this trouble?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ian's expression turned hard, his lips squishing into a hard line. His grip tightened on the fun, his hands fairly shaking with rage. "You ruined my life, so it's only fair that I ruin yours as well."

Nathan shook his head. "I shouldn't have pushed you through that window, I know that. And I'm sorry. But, Ian, basketball…it's just a game. It's not your life. You ruined your own life by spending so much of it on this vendetta that you have against me."

As soon as those words left Nathan's mouth, he knew that they were the wrong thing to say.

"See, that's where you're wrong!" Ian shouted, his eyes narrow and his breathing hard. He raised the gun again and Nathan jumped back. "Basketball was my life. It was the only thing that I had. It was my only chance at going to college or to make a life for myself. And you took that from me! The worst thing about it is that basketball is nothing to you while it's everything to me!"

"That's not true." Nathan's hands were in the air. He glanced over at Haley, her skin pale and the look of fear evident on her face. God, he wanted nothing more than to comfort her.

Ian continued on as if Nathan hadn't said a word. "Ever since we were kids and we were going to those stupid basketball camps, you were always the 'chosen child.' The coaches raved about you. Bowed down to you. Worshipped you. You were like God's gift to basketball and I was just an amateur kid. You got everything that I wanted- the captainship, the championships, the praise, and the scholarships. But you gave it all up for some bitch."

Ian glared directly at Haley and she felt a shiver run down her spine. The way he was speaking…it was full of venom and disdain. Pure evil. The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach was incessant now. It was hard to stay silent as she watched everything unfold before her. Nathan was tense, she could see that much. Behind the poker face he was sporting, she knew he was terrified and furious, a deadly combination if you asked her. She could see the changing emotions in his eyes.

Tearing his eyes away from Haley, Ian continued. "You didn't deserve any of those things. The person who deserved those things wouldn't have just walked around from them for a bitch and her spawn. I should have had those things. I would never walked away from them. But, I didn't even have the chance because you took the game away from me."

"So, what you kidnap my son for six years only to hand him back over?" Nathan questioned, his eyebrows furrowing. None of this was making sense to him. If he were being honest, it all sounded ridiculous. "So, what's your plan now? Have us altogether so you can torture us?"

Ian shook his head. Just like that, the hard expression on his face was quickly replaced by a sick smile. This guy was actually insane. One emotion quickly followed the next with him. "I'll be honest, you fucked with my plan…a lot. But you know, now that I think about it, you actually made things so much worse for yourself."

"How so?"

"By joining the FBI," Ian sneered, waving the gun around. "See, I thought I had the perfect plan. I saw the way you were with Haley. I saw the way you looked at her and the way you protected her. She was the one thing that you loved more than basketball. I figured she would be easy target. I take her out and then we're even. But then, you had a son. I figured that if there was one thing in his world that you loved more than Haley, it would be Jamie."

"It was all supposed to be over within a few weeks. You were supposed to come after Jamie or maybe get the police involved. Once you found me, I was going to toss the kid in the river and this would all be over with. But then you decided to join the FBI, to once again protect your precious Haley and to find Jamie. That was something that really shouldn't have done," Ian explained. His voice took on a more menacing tone that had goosebumps rising on both Haley and Nathan's skin.

He began to pace again, the gun remaining pointed at Nathan. "It became clear to me that in your eyes, Haley and Jamie were equal. So, I decided that the only way to complete my revenge, I needed to reunite the three of you. Which took six fucking years because of you. It was clever to classify the fact that you were married, but also annoying. I dropped hint after hint for you to come back to Tree Hill, but you just didn't take the bait. So, I had to take the drastic route. I left Haley's name on list at a crime scene, you got your ass to Tree Hill, I gave you Jamie back, and now we're all here. Ask me why."

Nathan swallowed thickly. He had a terrible feeling that he wasn't going to like the answer. "Why?"

Ian paused in his pacing and turned to face Nathan. He looked him dead in the eye as he spoken. "Because, I want you to choose between Haley and Jamie. I could kill both of them but it would be more satisfying for Jamie to grow up without a mother and you having to explain to him how you killed her. Or, for Haley to go without her son and hate you for killing him."

At that point, Nathan's heart had actually stopped beating. All of the blood drained from his face and his breath got caught in his throat. He felt like his head was spinning, Ian's words echoing loudly. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything.

This was evil. This was pure evil.

"So, Scott, what's it gonna be- your wife or your son?"

~x~

"Clay, what the fuck happened?!" Dan's voice boomed through the FBI's stake out van.

"I-I don' know," Clay stuttered out while holding a bag of ice to his forehead. He felt absolutely terrible. He was sick with worry and he couldn't believe how easily he let Ian in. His leg hadn't stopped shaking up and down. "One minute I'm standing there and then all of a sudden Ian appears out of thin air. I didn't even see him coming. The next thing I knew he's hitting me in the back of the head with a bat and I wake up lying in the middle of the floor."

"Fuck!" Dan yelled. "How the fuck did he get in? We had the place secured."

"Mouth was working with Ian," Peyton said quietly. Her throat felt dry and she still felt kind of a in a daze. Everything had happened so fast.

"What the hell do you mean?"

Peyton shook her head. "I'm not sure. We were sitting here and all of a sudden he got a phone call. After he hung up he said that he was helping Ian and then just left."

Dan ran a frustrated hand over his face, a deep breath of air expelling from his lips. "That's just perfect. That's just fucking perfect."

"Look, don't freak out yet. We're going to get them out of there. Smith and Taggaro are already stationed on the roof of the building across the street. They have a clear view of Ian. The only problem is that Nathan is standing in the line of fire," Peyton explained as calmly she could. It was a risky job, but at the moment, it was all they had.

"Ian has a gun," Clay mumbled. "How do we know that he won't just open fire at any moment?"

"We don't. But our hands are tied," Peyton retorted. "We don't have any other options. I just don't know how to get the message to Nathan of what our plan is."

"The walkie talkies," Dan blurted out. "One of them should be in Jamie's room. Have Taggaro or Smith see if they can locate it in Jamie's room."

Peyton nodded as she swiveled around in her chair. She pressed down the talk button on her microphone that would send the message to them via their ear pieces. "Smith, Taggaro, see if you can locate one of our external walkie talkies in Jamie's room."

"Copy."

They all remained silent as they waited for word back. Their hearts were pounding and their palms were sweaty. The stakes were high and if they couldn't locate the walkie talkie, they didn't have any other option, besides breaking down the door and tackling Ian.

"Located, it's on the bedside table."

A weight felt like it had been lifted off their shoulders, a group sigh of relief expelling into the air. Dan wasted no time reaching for their own walkie talkie.

"Okay, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to get Jamie to tell Nathan 'code 342.' Ian may have had insiders but there is absolutely no way he would know the codes. You tell Taggaro and Smith that the second they have a clear shot of Ian, they shoot. No hesitation. We aim to kill him, not to injure," Dan ordered.

"Got it."

Dan pressed down the talk button on the walkie talkie before speaking. "Jamie? Are you there? It's Grandpa Dan."

Jamie was perched on his bed, his pillow squeezed tightly in his arms. He could hear his dad and Ian talking but he couldn't make out the words. He was absolutely terrified and the tears hadn't stopped falling since the second that Ian showed up in his room. He wanted his mom to hold him. He wanted his dad to tell him everything was going to be okay. He just wanted it all to be over with.

When he heard his Grandpa Dan's voice echo through the room, a small feeling of relief came over him. Quickly, he scurried across his bed and over to his bedside table. Gripping the device, he pressed down he only button and spoke into it. "Grandpa!"

Dan breathed another sigh of relief at the sound of Jamie's voice. "Hey buddy, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"No," Jamie choked out, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes never left his bedroom door. He was terrified of Ian coming back. "But I'm so scared."

Dan closed his eyes, his heart skipping a beat at the pain in his grandson's voice. "I know Jamie, I know. But I promise I'm going to get you out of there. You and your parents. Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Jamie squeaked.

"Okay, good," Dan said. "Do you think you could help me out with something?"

"What do I gotta do?"

Dan smiled a small smile. "I need you to go tell your dad 'code 342'. Do you think you could do that for me?"

"Mr. Ian said that I wasn't allow to leave my room until he said so," Jamie murmured as he chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"Mr. Ian isn't going to hurt you, I promise," Dan reassured him.

Jamie stayed quiet for a few seconds. He really didn't want to leave his room. Ian had been clear with his instructions and Jamie had never disobeyed him before. "I-I don't know."

"Jamie, you can do this. You wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you're a Scott man. We're some of the strongest men around."

Through his tears, Jamie smiled. That was all the reassurance he needed.

~x~

"You want me to…" Nathan trailed off. He felt like he couldn't breathe. The sound of Haley sobbing was loud in his ears. Ian was asking him to do the impossible.

"I want you to choose between your wife and your son," Ian repeated with a smirk.

"I can't do that."

"Oh yes you can and better yet, you're going to," Ian spit out harshly. "You have five minutes to decide. If you don't decide, I'll pick for you."

"Nathan," Haley sobbed. She was crying so hard that she couldn't see straight. How had her life come to this? Ian was standing in front of them, holding all the power of them with a stupid hand gun. He was making Nathan choose between her and Jamie. She wasn't scared of dying. She wasn't fearful for her life, especially if dying meant dying for Jamie. However, she was terrified for Nathan. No one should ever have to be put through this.

"Daddy?" Jamie's small voice came from the hall. He was peaking his head out from behind the wall. He was chewing nervously on his bottom lip and he was visibly trembling.

"I thought I told you to stay in your room!" Ian boomed, whipping the gun around to point at Jamie.

Jamie immediately started sobbing, his little body shaking even more. Haley wished to God she could break free from her restraints and Nathan swore his heart physically broke. Their little boy had already been through so much, this was the last thing he needed.

"Ian, please," Nathan pleaded. He didn't even try to hide the desperation in his voice. "Let me talk to him. You already making me chose. You've already won. Just give me this."

Ian stared at Jamie, the gun in his hand shaking as he considered Nathan's plea. The satisfaction of knowing that he had already won was quickly setting in. The satisfaction of hearing Nathan beg was euphoric. He lowered the gun and stepped to the side, plopping his body down on the ground. "Fine, but this is cutting into your five minutes."

Nathan didn't waste a second as he ran over to Jamie. He pulled him into his arms and gently rocked him. "Shh, Jamie, it's okay. I've got you buddy. Everything's going to be okay." He choked on his words, the tears quickly welling up in his own eyes. All of this felt like some sick nightmare. He prayed to God that in any minute, he was going to wake up to a life that was the complete opposite of the one he was currently living in.

"Code 342," Jamie sobbed out, gripping on to Nathan's shirt tightly. Through his crippling fear, he knew he had to tell his dad that. Grandpa Dan had promised they would be okay and he was holding him to that. "Code 342."

Nathan paused. _Code 342_. That was a risk. Hell that was more than a risk. Trying to shoot someone from an extended range, through glass, was dangerous. One wrong move and someone else could get shot. One wrong move and Ian would know what was happening. There was no doubt in Nathan's mind that Ian would open fire if he was shot at.

Despite the risk of it all, Nathan felt a sliver of hope. At least they had a chance.

He pulled away from Jamie and held him at arm's length. "You did so well, Jamie. I'm so proud of you and I love you. Now, go back to your room, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Jamie nodded. His room was the only place that he knew he would feel safe. Nathan pressed a kiss to his forehead before pushing him back to his room. Once Jamie was safely returned to his room, he bolted back over to Haley, who was sobbing beyond belief.

"3 minutes, Scott."

"Nathan, you have to pick Jamie," Haley asserted once Nathan was kneeling before her. "He's just a little boy. You have to pick him."

Nathan grabbed her face, his thumbs moving across her cheeks in soothing circles. The pads of his thumbs were instantly wet. "Baby, breathe. It's going to be okay."

She was beside herself. She was in hysterics. "God, you have to pick Jamie." She just kept repeating that same sentence over and over again.

The tears started streaming down Nathan's face and he couldn't stop them. His heart was beating out of his chest and it felt like someone was punching him repeatedly in the stomach. Out of all years he had known Haley, he couldn't recall a time where she looked this…destroyed. "I know, baby, but we're all going to get out of here. I promise."

"2 minutes."

Haley shook her head. She heard Nathan's words but she couldn't comprehend them. "Promise me that you'll pick Jamie."

"Haley, it's not gonna have to come down to that."

"Promise me, Nathan. Just promise me."

All he could do was stare at her. The woman that he loved…the only woman he had ever loved. As crazy as it sounded, he fell in love with her all of again in that moment. She was willing to give up her life for their son. She didn't ask for any of this. She was dragged into it. And instead of letting it scare her away or cripple her, she was making the ultimate decision.

"I-I promise."

"I love you, Nathan. Please don't ever forget that. I love you so damn much."

"1 minute."

Nathan choked back a sob at her words, the tears burning his eyes. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay? Trust me, Hales. We've been through far too much to have it end like this."

Haley wanted to believe him. She could see that look in his eyes- the desperation, the fear, the love…everything. She trusted that he had a plan. He was always the one who was the best in crisis. But there was a part of her that knew there was a chance this was the end.

"Kiss me."

"Wha-"

"Just in case you can't keep your promise."

Nathan swallowed hard before doing exactly what she wanted. He gripped her cheeks tight as he smashed their lips together. Every single emotion they were feeling was poured into this kiss. If he didn't know any better, she was saying goodbye. It might have been a 'just in case' kind of situation, but he shook him to his core.

"Alright, times up," Ian announced while pushing himself up and off the floor. He glanced at the gun to make sure the firing pin was still clicked back. "What will it be, Nathan?"

Reluctantly, he pulled away from Haley. Glancing over at the window, he knew that somehow, someway, he had to get Ian directly in front of it. That was the only way Code 342 was going to work. He glanced one more time at Haley and mouthed that he loved her before turning his attention back to Ian.

"Come on, I don't go all day," Ian barked with a roll of his eyes. "I'm about to take your silence as a go ahead to do what I want." He raised the gun and pointed it straight at Haley.

Nathan felt his knees go weak. He had to act fast. He looked around the room and realized that he really only had one choice. It was risky and not at all professional, but it was the only card he had left. Walking over to Haley, he dragged the chair she was tied to and placed it off to the side of the window. If Ian wanted a clear shot, he would have to move directly in front of the window.

Nathan backed away from the chair, his hands up in the air. "Fine, I pick Jamie."

Haley closed her eyes at that and her sobs got louder. At this point, she wasn't sure if she was crying because she was relieved that Nathan had followed through on his promise or because she was terrified.

"Wow, I'm actually surprised," Ian purred as he raised his eyebrows. "I thought for sure that you would pick Haley. Oh well, let's just get this over with." He raised the gun and stepped closer to Haley, positioning his body directly in front of the window, just like Nathan hoped he would.

Nathan squeezed his eyes shut, his heart pounding, and prayer after prayer repeating in his head.

A single gunshot.

Shattering glass.

Another gun shot.

A piercing scream.

"Haley!"


	19. Chapter 20

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I know that I ended the chapter with yet another cliff hanger...what can I say? It's my signature. I try and steer away from them but sometimes I just can't resist. I've never had someone seriously complain about them but I do apologize if you find them annoying. I love cliff hangers because they keep things interesting and they keep you wanting to come back for more!

I know, I know, I've put Naley through hell in this story. I promise you that someday, they will get their happy ending. Unfortunately, today is not someday. What can I say? I love drama and suspense. Don't hate me too much.

In other news, I'm super excited because a friend and I bought tickets this morning to go to the next OTH convention in Wilmington in October! I get to meet James again and I'm super pumped about it. We're driving about 13 hours but I already know it's going to be worth it. This will be the first time I've ever been to Wilmington so I'm pretty pumped about that, as well.

 **Disclaimer:** I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors.

* * *

Nathan hated hospitals—the sterile smell, the blinding fluorescent lights, the obnoxious beeping of various machines—he hated it all. The chair he was sitting in was starting to hurt his back and no matter what way he angled his body, he couldn't find a comfortable position. It probably didn't help matters that he had a sleeping seven year old in his lap but there was no way he was letting Jamie out of his sight, not after everything that had happened over the last five hours. It had taken a good hour of trying to calm Jamie down before he was finally able to fall asleep. He was worried about his mom and was still reeling from the traumatic events that had taken place earlier in the day.

Jamie stirred a little, digging his head further into Nathan's chest. Nathan tightened his grip on him, his hands moving over his back in soothing circles. The exhaustion was finally setting in but he fought against it. He needed to stay awake just in case the doctors needed him or if something changed with Haley. Not to mention, every time he closed his eyes all he saw was blood and Haley.

God, he couldn't get that image out of his head. There was so much blood—some Ian's, some Haley's. Her cries of pain and her tortured sobs still echoed in his ears. He could still feel her death grip on his hand when they were in the back of the ambulance. The changing emotions on her face—the anger, the fear, the sadness, and the pain—were going to haunt him for the rest of his life. But the thing that was really embedded in his brain was watching the color drain from Haley's face and the life from her eyes.

If only Taggaro and Smith would have pulled the trigger a second earlier, Haley wouldn't be in surgery right now, fighting for her life. He knew that he couldn't blame Taggaro or Smith for what happened, they did the best that they could. His heart hadn't stopped pounding in his chest since he realized that Haley had been shot. He felt as if the world had stopped spinning. His biggest fear had come true and now, he was terrified out of his mind. If Haley didn't make it….

He couldn't help but feel like he _was_ the one to blame for all of his.

It had been hours since he'd last heard something about Haley. The last thing they had told him was that she needed surgery to remove the bullet and they would come talk to him as soon as they had news. Four and a half hours later…absolutely nothing. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Sweetie," Deb's sweet voice and gentle touch on his shoulder brought Nathan out of his thoughts. He looked over to see her sitting in the chair next to him, a small and sad smile on her face. "How are you holding up?"

"Not so good," He answered honestly, his voice quivering. The tears stung in the back of his eyes but he held them back. He could have cried in front of his mom, he knew that. But he wanted to remain strong, especially for the little boy in his arms.

Deb's eyes glistened with tears as she took in her son's appearance. His grey t-shirt was stained with Haley's blood, or so she assumed. His hair was a mess and his eyes were rimmed red, from exhaustion or his previous tears, she wasn't sure. Her heart broke for him and all she wanted to do was take his pain away. He had been through so much the years and this was just the icing on the cake.

"Why don't you let me take Jamie?" She offered. "I'll take him back to my place, give him a bath, get him some food, and then let him sleep for a little while."

Involuntarily, Nathan's grip tightened on Jamie. "I don't know. He's been through a lot today and I feel like I need to be with him."

Deb smiled softly. He may have only been a physical father for a little over a year but his fatherly instincts were as sharp as ever. "You're doing such a wonderful job with him, Nate. I'm so proud of you."

"I learned from the best," Nathan muttered, a small smile gracing his lips.

Deb squeezed his shoulder, her smile brightening at his words. "Look, I'll bring him back as soon as he's well-rested. It'll just be for a couple of hours. A hospital is no place for him to sleep and relax."

Nathan sighed. He knew his mom had a point. Selfishly, Nathan didn't want to let him go. The warmth he felt from Jamie's body and the steady rising and falling of his chest were the only things keeping him calm at the moment. However, now was not the time to be selfish.

"Okay," He conceded. Gently, he lifted Jamie up and handed him over to Deb. Surprisingly, Jamie remained asleep. "You better call me if he starts crying or asking for me or-"

"Have you forgotten that I am, in fact, a mother?" Deb joked gently, her fingers running through the short hairs on the back Jamie's head. "Just relax, I have this under control."

"Thank you," Nathan muttered, a small yet genuine smile on his face.

"It's not a problem. I just got off the phone with Lucas a few minutes ago, they're on their way. Your dad is finishing up all of the legal obligations with your case and then he'll be here," Deb explained.

"Okay."

"Do you want me to bring you anything back? A change of clothes?"

Nathan nodded, shifting his position in the chair he was sitting in so that one leg was resting on the other. "Yeah, a change of clothes would be nice."

Deb slowly stood up from the chair, holding Jamie tightly to her chest. She could see the wheels turning in Nathan's head, the wheel of every bad outcome that this situation could bring forth. "Nathan, everything's going to be okay."

"You don't know that," Nathan snapped back. He didn't mean to be so cynical. His mom was just trying to help but right now, he couldn't help but feel like things weren't going to be okay, not until he knew Haley was okay.

"You're right, I don't know," Deb muttered with a sigh. "But what I do know, is that you and your family have been through way too much to not have a happy ending."

"Thanks, mom."

Deb smiled once more before turning her back and heading out of the hospital, Jamie comfortably in her arms. Nathan wasn't alone for long, though.

"Mr. Scott?"

Nathan's head snapped in the direction of the voice. Standing there was a middle aged man, dressed in a white coat and stethoscope around his neck. Nathan instantly recognized him as one of the doctors who tended to Haley when she arrived at the hospital. His heart was in his throat as he pushed himself out of the chair he was sitting in. He's knees felt weak and his stomach felt queasy. He couldn't read the expression on the doctor's face and that only served to increase his anxiety.

"How is she? Is she okay?" Nathan blurted out. He couldn't have stopped himself even if he tried. He had to know.

The doctor smiled gently. "I'm Doctor Allen. I was the lead doctor on your wife's surgery. We were able to retrieve the bullet out of her abdomen. However, the bullet did come in contact with her spleen. The tissue was torn which caused some internal bleeding. We were able to remove the contaminated tissue and repair the tear. "

Nathan swallowed hard. "That's uh, good right?"

"Yes," Doctor Allen confirmed. "However, we are far from in the clear. During surgery, we had a few complications."

Nathan's heart felt like it was in his throat. He didn't like the sound of that. "What kind of complications?"

"She lost a lot of blood and the loss of blood can sometimes put stress on the heart. She flat lined during surgery. We were able to re-start her heart and she's stable now. However, when a patient flat lines, it puts them at risk for it to happen again," Doctor Allen explained as gently as he could.

Nathan felt as if the air had been knocked out of him. Hearing that, at one point, Haley's heart had stopped beating scared the shit out of him. His knees felt weak and his heart was thudding loudly. "Is she going to be okay?" He practically had to force the words out.

"These next twenty four hours are critical. As far as I can tell, Haley is perfectly healthy and has a strong body, but sometimes those things don't always ensure full recoveries. There is a chance her spleen could rupture and if it does before her body is recovered enough to conduct the surgery, that's where we might run into problems," Doctor Allen explained even further.

"What are the chances of that happening?" Nathan croaked. He felt physically sick.

"Right now, it's about a fifty-fifty chance."

Nathan nodded. He felt like he was suffocating as Doctor Allen's words set in. His world had stopped spinning and he was positive it wasn't going to start spinning again until he knew that Haley was okay. The back of his throat was burning as he choked back a sob that was threatening to spill out.

"Can I see her?"

Doctor Allen nodded. "Of course. The aesthesia hasn't worn off, so she isn't awake yet."

"I don't care. I just need to see her."

Doctor Allen nodded as he turned to lead Nathan back to Haley's room. Once they reached her room, Doctor Allen gave Nathan one last smile before heading back over to his station. Nathan hesitated in the doorway, letting out a slow breath of air. His hands were shaking and his heart was in his throat. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to be emotionally ready enough to handle seeing Haley in the position that she was in.

Taking one last calming breath, he crossed the threshold. Slowly, Haley's bed came into view from behind the light blue curtain. For the second time that day, he felt as if he had the wind knocked out of him. Tears welled up in his eyes and this time, he let them fall freely. An immense amount of guilt, pain, and fear bubbled up inside of him, almost knocking him off his feet.

There were so many wires and so many machines hooked up to her body. The steady beeping of the heart monitor immediately filled his ears. A cannula was hanging over her airs and pressed inside of her nose. Her auburn hair was messily pressed against the propped up pillows. The skin covering her bones was a pale white color, her lips chapped and cracked, and her eyes tightly closed. Even laid up in a hospital bed, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Hesitantly, he walked over to the chair that was placed beside the bed. He took a seat and wasted no time grabbing her hand. It surprised him at just how cold she was to the touch. He assumed that could only be explained by the blood loss. Her hand was limp, her fingers stationary…something that only heightened his fear. He ran a thumb over the back of her hand in slow circles, an act that was more to calm him down than anything.

The tears fell freely from Nathan's eyes as he stared back at her. He wanted to say something. He wasn't sure if she would be able to hear him, but he didn't care. He wanted to tell her that he loved her or that everything was going to be okay, but those words were caught in the back of his throat. They didn't seem like enough…none of it seemed like enough.

"I'm so sorry, baby," Nathan sobbed. "This should have never happened. This should have never fucking happened."

His grip on her hand tightened as sob after sob shook through his body.

"You've always been the strongest person that I know. You've always fought with everything in you. I need you to stay true to that, especially right now. I can't do this without you, Hales." Nathan paused before continuing on. "Jamie's a mess. He's so worried about you. You know, he's only known you for a short time but boy, does he love you. I don't think he can do this without you, either."

He continued to stroke the back of her hand, his eyes never leaving her face. There were no signs that Haley had heard a word that he said, not that he expected one, but that still didn't stop the pain from resonating through him. He wanted to say so much more. He wanted to beg her to open her eyes, to move a finger…to do something, but it was like he no longer had the strength to.

She looked so lifeless and the longer he stared at her, the harder he found it to breathe.

He had to get out of there before he completely lost it. His worst nightmare was right in front of him and it was even scarier than he imagined it to be. The walls felt like they were closing in around him and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to get his tears under control. Deciding that he needed air, he stood up from the chair, released her hand, and leaned forward to press a kiss to Haley's forehead.

"I love you."

Taking one last glance at her, he began to walk back to the waiting room. He supposed that he should have been embarrassed by the tears streaming down his face, but he didn't care, not in the slightest. Nathan quickly spotted Lucas and Brooke occupying the chair he and his mom were sitting in. As soon as they saw him, they jumped up from their seats.

"How is she?" Lucas quickly asked.

"Is she going to be okay? Are you okay?" Brooke chimed in.

"She's alive," Nathan responded, rubbing a hand over his face and then through his hair. "They were able to remove the bullet, but she's still in pretty rough shape. The bullet grazed her spleen and there's a chance it could rupture. She lost a lot of blood, so if it does rupture, her body might not be strong enough to do the surgery."

Brooke wiped the tears that were forming in her eyes away. To hear that one of her best friends was in the position that she was in was absolutely heartbreaking. "God, Nate, I am so sorry that you, Haley, and Jamie have to go through this. You guys have been through enough."

"Is there anything we can do?" Lucas asked next.

Nathan smiled sadly while shaking his head. "No. I just…I'm going to get some air. My dad should be here soon and my mom's got Jamie."

As soon as he walked away, Brooke let a few more tears fall down her face and Lucas wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his chest.

"This isn't fair," Brooke mumbled. "They don't deserve any of this."

"I hope Ian Banks rots in hell."

~x~

The cool air felt good against Nathan's warm cheeks. The night sky was fading into a light purple, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. The wooden bench he was sitting on was surprisingly a lot more comfortable than the chairs in the waiting room. Nathan kept his eyes trained on that horizon, allowing his mind to fully run wild. It wasn't the smartest idea, but he was too exhausted to fight against it.

Everything just felt numb yet oddly intense at the same time.

"They pronounced Ian dead about ten minutes ago," Lucas announced as he walked over to where Nathan was sitting. Another agent had come until the waiting room, looking for Nathan to tell him the news. He had volunteered to go find Nathan, figuring that it would also give them a chance to talk.

"He got what he deserved," Nathan said coolly. He supposed that he should have felt relieved at hearing that news and a part of him was. Ian was gone. He couldn't hurt anyone that he loved anymore. But none of that seemed to matter at the moment, not with Haley fighting for her life because of him.

"What are you thinking about?" Lucas asked as he took a seat on the bench beside Nathan.

"The time I got shot," Nathan responded lowly. "I wish I would've died that night."

Lucas' head snapped up at that. Nathan's voice sounded so monotone, like he was in some kind of trance. His expression was blank, his eyes a cold stare. "Why the hell would you say something like that?"

Nathan took in a shaky breath of air. He could feel himself spiraling out of control, an array of emotions pulling him in a million different directions. "If I would have died that night, Ian would've had no reason to torture Haley or Jamie anymore. It would have all just been over. Haley wouldn't be in that bed right now. She wouldn't be fighting for her life. Jamie wouldn't be scarred for life by seeing his mom almost die. They both would have been better off. "

Lucas shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his brother's mouth. "You're a fool if you believe that. Do you really think that Haley would have been able to go on if you would have died? There is no way in hell that she would have been 'better off.' Or what about Jamie? Do you really think that he would be okay with going his whole life and not being able to properly get to know his father? They both need you, Nate."

Nathan ran of his hands through his hair, a frustrated breath of air leaving his lips. He knew Lucas was right. It was selfish of him to think that dying would have been the best option for everyone. But he couldn't stop feeling like he was responsible. Responsible for Jamie getting kidnapped, responsible for leaving Haley, responsible for Haley getting shot...responsible for everything.

"What if lose her?" Nathan croaked after a moment of silence. It was amazing how one emotion seemed to follow the next for him. One minute, he was feeling guilty and the next he was scared out of his mind.

"You're not going to," Lucas declared. If he were being honest, he was terrified too. Haley was his best friend and the thought of losing her was too much to bare. He could only imagine the anguish that Nathan was feeling.

"I can't lose her, Lucas, I can't," Nathan choked out. He could feel his throat closing up as images of her pale skin and tired body quickly invaded his mind. "I know what it's like to live a life without her and it's one that I can't live. I need her. Jamie _needs_ her."

Lucas clearly heard the panic in Nathan's voice and it caused his own throat to close up. "Haley's strong, she's always been strong. She's not going to give up without a fight."

Nathan jumped up from the bench. His heart was racing and he could feel every emotion bubbling to the surface. He knew that he should have been thinking happy and positive thoughts, but those thoughts seemed impossible. "This is exactly what I was afraid of. This is exactly why I left."

"Nate, you couldn't have-"

"I should have never left, Luke," Nathan cut him off. The words seem to just flow out. "Every move that I have made was in order to protect Haley and to get Jamie back. But none of it mattered, Ian found Haley anyway. He hurt the two people that mean the most to me anyway. And now all I can think is what if this is the end? What if I never get to hold Haley again? Or kiss her? Or even just see her beautiful brown eyes staring back at me again? I wasted so much time that we could have spent together...for absolutely nothing."

"Nathan-"

"How am I supposed to raise Jamie without her? She's always been the more sensible one. I can't do that without her. I can't look at him every day and-"

"Stop. Nathan, just stop," Lucas demanded. "You can't keep thinking like that. It's not going to do except drive you crazy. Right now, you need to let the doctors do their job. Right now, you need to stay strong because you have a son who needs you and you can't be falling apart like this."

Nathan sighed heavily. Lucas was right, he knew that. Working his mind over until it was fried wasn't helping anything. He had Jamie to think about.

"I'm sorry."

Lucas shook his head as he stood up from the bench to join Nathan. He placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "You have nothing to apologize for. You've been through the ringer and it's only natural for your mind to be going crazy like that. You just can't let it get too far."

"You're right."

"I'm always right," Lucas lightly joked. "Now, come on, let's go back inside. The cafeteria should be opening soon and you need to eat something before you end up in a hospital bed, too."

Nathan nodded as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He was nowhere near being calm, but he had to admit that Lucas made him feel a little bit better. He smiled gratefully at Lucas before following him back into the waiting room. Brooke was there waiting for them, only she wasn't alone.

"Dad," Nathan called out as soon as he saw Dan sitting in the chair next to Brooke.

Dan jumped up from the chair and walked over to Nathan, pulling him into a tight hug. "Brooke filled me in on Haley. I'm so sorry, son."

Nathan squeezed him back before pulling away. "Thank-you."

"Jamie's with your mom back at our house, right?"

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, she's bringing back after he gets some rest."

"Good," Dan affirmed. "I finished the paperwork for the case. It's to my understanding that Ian passed away. You know that because of that, it won't go to trial. I issued an APB for Mouth and I've got guys looking out looking for him. He couldn't have gotten far."

"I still can't believe that," Nathan chuckled humorlessly. "How did we not catch him?"

"We weren't looking at him, that's why. He passed the original inspection and he was so helpful that we just let him go."

"That was dumb on our part."

"Maybe so. But it doesn't matter now because we're going to get him and he's going down," Dan assured. "I know you know that you're going to have to fill out a case report and an incident report. I don't want you to worry about those right now. Your family comes first and I'll fight off the lieutenant as long as I can."

"Thanks, dad. I don't think I could handle doing paperwork right now," Nathan mumbled.

"Nate, Luke and I are going to head to the cafeteria to get some coffee and maybe some food. Do you want to come with? You really should eat something," Brooke said as she slowly walked over to where they were standing.

Nathan sighed. "I guess I should."

~x~

"Daddy, wake up," Jamie's soft voice called out, his small finger poking Nathan in the shoulder. "Daddy!"

Nathan stirred, his eyes fluttering open. After getting something to eat with Brooke and Lucas, he headed back into Haley's room. Occasionally, Brooke or Lucas would pop in to visit, but for the most part, they gave Nathan his space. Somewhere along the line, the exhaustion must have caught up to him.

His blinked his eyes hard to readjust to his awake state. Jamie was standing in front of him, his face practically touching his. He was poking Nathan anxiously in the shoulder, an excited smile on his face.

"What is it buddy?" Nathan asked groggily as he sat up. Tingles immediately shot up and down his arm from sleeping on.

"Momma's awake."

Nathan's head shot up in the direction of Haley's bed as soon as those words left Jamie's mouth. Sure enough, Haley was sitting up in her bed, her eyes open, and a tired smile on her face. Nathan's heart was pounding hard in his chest as he looked back at Jamie who was still smiling. Giving Jamie's shoulder a squeeze, his jumped up from his chair and headed over to Haley's bed. There were tears in his eyes and he couldn't look away from her. He was so scared that he would never be able to see her smiling at him again or be able to hear her voice again.

All of his fears melted away at the sight of her staring back at him.

Haley smiled lazily at him. "Good morning." Her voice was scratchy and weak.

"God, I thought I was never going to see that smile again," Nathan forced out. He reached out to gently stroke her cheek. Her skin felt a lot warmer than it had hours ago. An immense amount of relief washed over him and he finally felt like he could breathe again. "How long have you been awake?"

"About an hour."

Nathan's eyes widened. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"I figured I would let you sleep. If I know you as well as I think I do, you haven't slept a wink because you were too busy worrying about me," Haley responded with a tiny smirk.

Nathan looked down, a small smile spreading across his face. "Guilty as charged."

"Besides, your mom dropped some clothes off for you and brought Jamie in here so I wasn't alone. We were watching a movie," Haley said while pointing towards the TV, some cartoon playing across the screen.

"I am sorry you had to go through this," Nathan breathed out.

She shook her head. "I know that look. Don't start, okay? I don't blame you for this, Nathan. I don't blame you for any of it. Ian was insane and the only person to blame for this is him."

"Hales-"

"I love you, Nathan," She interrupted him. She didn't want him to apologize anymore. She could see the pain and the regret swirling around in his eyes. She wasn't going to have that.

"I love you, too," Nathan declared. He knew that, for now, that conversation was over. "Are you feeling okay? Do you need anything?"

Haley shook her head. "Just you."

Nathan leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead before resting his forehead against hers. There weren't words to describe just how happy he was. "You have no idea how scared I was. I thought I was going to lose you forever."

"You won't," Haley promised. "You're stuck with me forever."

"That sounds perfect to me," Nathan mumbled before leaning down and seizing her lips in passionate kiss. Haley's shaky hands ran up the length of his back before burying in the strands of his hair.

"Hey!" Jamie squeaked out. "I'm still here, ya know."

They pulled away from each other, laughing.

"Sorry bubby. Come on," Haley said while patting the bed. "Get your little butt up here."

Jamie smiled and crawled up the side of the bed, Nathan giving him a little extra push. He cuddled up to Haley's side and Haley rubbed his back. She was still a little shaken up by everything that happened, but holding Jamie in her arms and feeling Nathan's hand in hers made her feel a little better. She was just seconds away from losing the two things that meant the most to her.

"What's the deal with Ian?" She asked a second later.

"He won't be bothering us anymore," Nathan declared, giving her hand a squeeze.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Meaning?"

"He's gone, Hales," He said softly. "They pronounced him dead a few hours ago."

Haley felt as if a giant brick had been lifted off her shoulders at that revelation. All of the stress and the fear that had plagued her life for the last decade melted away and she finally felt a sense of peace she wasn't sure was in the cards for her and her family.

Before she had a chance to respond, Doctor Allen made his appearance known. He was smiling and clutching his clipboard to his chest.

"I heard that you were awake, Haley," He beamed. "How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly, good. I'm a little tired and definitely sore."

Doctor Allen nodded. "That's to be expected. Your vitals look good and your blood pressure has significantly increased, all good signs. We're going to keep you here another twenty four hours just to monitor your spleen. It could still rupture but since your body seems a lot stronger, it's not an immediate concern anymore."

"This is all good news, right?" Nathan asked for clarification.

"It's great news," Doctor Allen corrected. "You're very fortunate, Mrs. Scott. There are still a few more tests that I'd like to run. They're basic tests just to test the strength of your body. I'll send a nurse in once we're ready, alright?"

Haley nodded. "Okay, thank-you doctor."

Doctor Allen smiled before exiting her room.

The final weight on Nathan's shoulders dissipated. He looked back over at Haley to see a few tears streaming down her face. His grip on her hand tightened. Jamie looked up at Haley and his forehead creased.

"What's wrong, momma? The doctor said you were okay!" Jamie exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Haley.

"You okay, Hales?"

She nodded, reaching up to wipe away the stray tears. "Yeah, I'm just happy. All of this could have ended up a lot worse."

"But it didn't," Nathan comforted, bringing her hand up to kiss it. "We're all going to be okay. It's over."

Haley smiled through her tears at Nathan before turning and pressing a kiss to the top of Jamie's head. "I feel like I've been waiting my whole life to hear those words."


	20. Chapter 21

The only thing I had to say about this chapter is that it ties up the loose ends of this story. It's not the most exciting chapter in the world (ha, I didn't say boring for once), but it should answer any remaining questions that you have about the journey that this story has taken Naley on. The epilogue will include a year time jump, just so you all know. I thought about combining this chapter and the epilogue into one, but I figured it wouldn't make sense to do a time jump in the middle of a chapter. Okay, I'm done rambling, haha.

* * *

"Haley James Scott get your ass back into that bed right now or I swear to God I will yank you by your hair!"

"I'm just grabbing a-"

"Now."

"But, mom-"

"Do I have to call Nathan? I have him on speed dial and you know that he'll be here in .02 seconds," Lydia James reminded her with a cocked eyebrow.

"That won't be necessary," Haley mumbled as she raised her hands in mock surrender. "I'm going back to bed now, Sargent Mom."

"Good, and you better stay there too," Lydia demanded as she followed closely behind Haley.

With a pout on her face, Haley crawled back into bed and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's been a week and a half, you know. I feel great. I'm no longer sore and my appetite is back. I don't think it's necessary for me to stay in bed all hours of the day."

Haley was actually convinced that she was starting to go crazy. There was only so much lying in bed that she could take. There was never anything good on TV and she already read all of the books in her collection. Sure, Brooke or Lucas would occasionally keep her company when Nathan was at work, but even that got boring after a while. She missed the outside world. She missed being able to do whatever she wanted. She felt fine, truly, she just wished her parents and Nathan would believe her.

"You heard the doctor," Lydia said, placing her hands on her hips.

"The doctor told me to take it easy, not that I had to be bed ridden," Haley pointed out.

"It's better to be safe than sorry."

"When are you and dad leaving again?" Haley mumbled quietly.

Lydia narrowed her eyes. For the last week or so, she and Jimmy had been staying with the Scott family. They were already on their way back to Tree Hill when they had heard what happened. Needless to say, they hadn't left Haley, Nathan, or Jamie's side since they arrived. They had almost lost their daughter and it was hard to take their eyes off of her. Plus, Jamie had completely stolen their hearts. After not seeing their grandson for six years, they were going to take advantage of every minute that they had.

"I'm only doing this because I care. A gunshot wound isn't just a small injury, Haley," Lydia mumbled as she took a seat on the edge of Haley's bed.

"Fine," Haley conceded, sighing softly. "Just remember that Jamie has an appointment with Quinn today at 2:30."

"Yes, I know. He's taking a nap right now, but Clay is going to come pick him up and take him," Lydia informed her. "Now, tell me, have you and Nathan decided what you're going to do about living arrangements?"

Haley nodded, a small smile gracing her face. "We have a few houses picked out. Nathan's waiting until I 'get better' before we take a walk through."

"So, you'll be staying in Tree Hill?" Lydia asked. She knew from previous conversations with Haley that they were still discussing whether or not they wanted to stay in Tree Hill or move to New York. The last she heard, they were leaning more towards staying.

"Yeah," Haley confirmed. "We both grew up here and we want Jamie to experience the beauty that Tree Hill has to offer. Besides, he's already been bounced around so much. Forcing him to move to another new place is the last thing Nathan and I want to put him through."

Lydia smiled as she leaned over to give Haley's leg a squeeze. "Good call. What does that mean for Nathan's job?"

"He's transferring to a much smaller unit that's stationed in Charlotte," Haley explained. "This unit deals with local cases that aren't incredibly serious. It's a much safer job than the unit in New York."

Haley would be lying if she said that she wasn't relieved when Nathan said he wanted to transfer. Of course, she would have supported him in any decision that he made, but she knew how dangerous working for the FBI could be. Hell, she practically had a front row seat to said danger over the course of the last few months. It gave her more peace of mind to know that Nathan wasn't in as much danger with his new job.

"Huh, I'm surprised," Lydia responded with a short chuckle. "I thought for sure he would go back to doing something basketball related."

Haley shrugged her shoulders. "He thought about it. But to be honest, I think he fell in love with being an agent. Ian's case wasn't his only case over the course of the last six years. He's gotten the chance to bring justice and peace to so many people and their families. I saw the look that was in his eyes when he told me about some of his other cases. I hadn't seen him that way since he was on a basketball court all those years ago."

"Well, then, I suppose that's good news for all of you," Lydia said with a bright smile. "Have you figured out what you're going to do with Jamie's schooling?"

"According to Quinn, his social skills are improving at a much more rapid pace than she expected. She said that he could potentially be well enough to start school this upcoming August, which is only three months away. We're leaving the choice up to Jamie. If he doesn't feel ready enough to go yet, then I'll homeschool him for the year."

Lydia furrowed her eyebrows. "Then what are you going to do jobwise?"

Haley took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, if Jamie needs to be home schooled, I'll have to take the year off. If not, I guess I'll have to go look around for a teaching job. I'm sure there's some school around here that I could teach at."

"You do not know how happy it makes me to hear all of this. You all have been through so much and it's about time that things started to work out in your favor," Lydia said sincerely, her voice cracking with the emotions that were currently running through her.

Before Haley could answer, the sound of knocking echoed through the apartment. She breathed a sigh of relief at the interruption. The last thing she felt like doing was having another heart filled talked with her mom, which would have only resulted in tears. They had shared enough of those over the course of the last week…enough to last a lifetime.

Lydia glanced at the alarm clock next to Haley's bed and quickly jumped up. "That must be Clay!" Without saying another word, Lydia walked out of Nathan and Haley's bedroom.

Haley could hear the muffled sounds of her mom greeting Clay, followed by the usual formalities—It's nice to see you again, how are you, etc. It was moments later when she heard their light footsteps heading back into her room.

With a smile, Clay entered the bedroom and waved gingerly at Haley. "Hey, Haley, how're you feeling?"

"Good. I would feel even better if I was allowed out of this bed," She teased, her eyes cutting to her mother with a playful glare.

Clay chuckled, shaking his head. "They got you on bedrest, huh?"

"Un-fairly so," Haley muttered bitterly, her glare only becoming more prominent.

Lydia laughed as she tossed her hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, I think I'm gonna go wake up Jamie before my daughter decides to murder me with her eyes." With that, she turned on her heels and headed out of the room and toward Jamie's.

Clay chuckled again before taking a few steps closer to Haley. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall. His playful expression melted into a much more serious one. "Hey, you know that Peyton and I are sorry for not visiting you at the hospital more, right? It's just…we wanted Nathan to be there with you as much as possible, so we took on Nathan's workload within this case. It killed us not to be there."

"Oh, Clay, don't worry about it! You both have done so much for this family and I don't know how I am ever going to thank you," Haley reassured him.

"Are you sure? Because—"

"I'm positive," Haley cut him off with a laugh. "I wasn't doing much in the hospital except sleeping and occasionally playing with Jamie or talking with Nathan. You didn't miss much."

"That's good to know," Clay answered lightheartedly.

"When are we losing you?" Haley asked next. It was a question that she had been dreading to ask, but it was inevitable. With the Ian Banks closed Clay, Peyton, and the rest of the FBI had no reason to remain in Tree Hill. The main thing holding Nathan and Haley back from quickly agreeing to stay in Tree Hill was them. Nathan had formed such a close relationship to the both Clay and Peyton. Haley had grown quite fond of the both them as well.

Clay sighed, the sound laced with sadness. "Our plane is scheduled to leave a week from today. Headquarters wanted us back like yesterday but Dan was able to pull some strings. He pulled the 'family card', or so he says."

"We're really going to miss you guys," Haley murmured. "Especially Jamie. He's grown quite fond of you and Quinn."

Clay smiled warmly at that. "We're definitely going to miss you guys, too. This part of the cases usually hits Quinn the hardest. She always ends up getting attached to the kids she works with, but I think she fell a little too in love with Jamie. I caught her crying twice already while trying to find the perfect therapist for Jamie to transfer to."

Haley felt her heart break a little at Clay's admission. "That just means you guys are going to have to come and visit when you're not on cases."

"Oh, we definitely will."

"Clay!" Jamie called out as he came barreling into Haley and Nathan's bedroom. He immediately ran to Clay and threw his arms around Clay's waist. Lydia walked in right after him.

Clay laughed as he hugged Jamie back. "Are you ready to go see Quinn?"

Jamie nodded his head eagerly. "I begged Grandma to let me take a nap in my clothes and shoes, so that when you came to get me, I would be ready!"

Haley raised an eyebrow at Lydia. "Is that true, mom?"

"Oh, don't give me that look! You know it's virtually impossible to tell him know when he looks at you with those puppy dog eyes and pouted lips! The kid is way too cute for his own good."

Haley conceded, pursing her lips and shrugging her shoulders. "He definitely gets that from his father."

"Nah, he gets that from the both of you," Lydia disagreed with a teasing smile. "Don't think that I've forgotten about all the times you used to pull the same look with me when you were younger."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Oh, whatever."

"Well, Jamie, I think that's our cue to get out of here," Clay announced, patting Jamie on the back. His eyes were wide as looked in-between the bickering mother and daughter.

Jamie nodded in agreement as he smiled up at Clay. He bounced over to the side of the bed and hoisted his body on to the bed, crawling over to Haley. He made sure to avoid the side where she was shot. Tossing his arms around her neck, he sloppily kissed her cheek.

"Bye, momma!"

"Bye, baby," Haley cooed with a smile. She hugged him back. "You be good for Clay and Quinn, okay?"

Jamie nodded more than necessary as he jumped down from the bed. Grabbing Clay's hand, he practically dragged him out of the room. Clay just laughed as he waved bye to Haley and Lydia.

"You know, for as much as he's been through, he sure bounces back fast," Lydia marveled.

"He's stronger than all of us combined."

~x~

"Hales, I'm home!" Nathan shouted as he toed off his shoes and placed them on the mat next to the door. He yawned loudly as he rubbed the back of his neck. Today had been stressful, yet oddly liberating, to say the least. He was finalizing everything with his case and his transfer, which meant a lot of annoying paperwork. He was just glad it was over. Right now, the only thing he wanted to was cuddle up next to his wife and his son.

"I'm in here," Haley yelled back from her place on the couch in the living room. Her feet were resting on top of the coffee table and a book was tightly clutched in her hands.

Nathan furrowed his eyebrows as he walked towards the living room. As he walked, he unbuttoned the first few buttons if his white dress shirt. The one thing he hated about his job was the dress code. Button down shirts and dress pants always felt way too suffocating for his liking.

"Why are you not in bed?" He asked in disapproving tone when he found Haley sprawled out on the couch.

"Because I was going stir crazy and I could already pressure sores forming all over my body," Haley answered nonchalantly as she shut her book. She rolled her eyes when she saw the concerned expression on his face. "Nathan, I love you for caring so much, but I'm fine. I promise. Spending a little time on the couch is not going to kill me."

Nathan exhaled deeply as he claimed the spot on the couch next to her. His hand immediately fell to rest on her thigh, his fingers running along the exposed skin that her shorts didn't cover. Just by the feel of her skin, he felt the stress of the day begin to melt away. "You're not overdoing it, right?"

Placing her book down on the side table, she turned to cuddle into Nathan's side. "I know my limits."

He smiled softly as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Where's the boy?"

"He's at his appointment with Quinn. Clay took him," She reminded him.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that. Where's your mom and dad?"

"I sent them out. They haven't done anything but watch after me since they got here. They deserve a little time to themselves."

"You had to force your mom out of this apartment, didn't you?" Nathan asked with a chuckle.

Haley giggled. "Of course I did. I swear she's worse than you sometimes."

"She's just worried about you, baby. As am I."

Haley sighed as she buried herself more into Nathan. "I know, I know. I just wish you guys would believe me when I say I'm fine. If I wasn't fine, I would say so."

"Okay," Nathan said with a small smile. "I won't argue with you about it anymore."

"Good," Haley sighed happily. "Work must have been stressful, huh?"

Nathan raised an eyebrow as he glanced down at her. "What? Are you a mind reader now?"

She laughed as she shook her head. "No, I can just tell by how tense you are."

Nathan smiled softly and squeezed her thigh. No one knew him as well as she did. "Yeah, it was. I had to start and finish all of my reports on this case. With everything that's been going on, I kind of pushed them to the side and headquarters was on my ass about it. I basically had to finish them today or they weren't going to put my transfer through."

Haley frowned. She titled her so she was looking up at him. "Are they always such assholes?"

Nathan sighed. "For the most part. They weren't very happy about the fact that my dad allowed me to be on this case to begin with, so they definitely aren't cutting me any slack now."

"I'm sorry, Nathan," Haley mumbled. She lifted herself up to press a quick kiss to his cheek.

"It's alright," He breathed. "I did get some good news today, though."

"What would that be?"

"They found Mouth," Nathan announced. "He confessed to everything, so there won't be a trial."

Haley's eyes widened as she sat up. "Really?"

Nathan nodded. "Yes. That means that this whole thing is officially over."

Haley grabbed Nathan's face gently and pressed her lips to his in a sweet kiss. After a few moments, she pulled away to smile at him. The final weight had been lifted off of their shoulders. It was like they both could breathe again. For the first time in God only knows how long, they felt completely happy and safe. All of the late and painful nights, all of the worrying, all of the fear…it was over.

Swiftly, Haley slid on to Nathan's lap so that she was straddling him. Nathan's hands automatically fell to grip her hips and her arms wound around his neck. "You know, I think this calls for a celebration." She whispered huskily.

Nathan kinked an eyebrow as a small smirk spread across his face. He could already feel a delicious heat begin to trickle through his body. "What did you have in mind?"

Instead of answering with her words, she leaned forward to claim his lips in a slow kiss. Nathan wasted no time kissing her back, his hands trailing up her back to push her flush against him. It felt like ages since they had made love, let alone make-out. Between worrying about making sure Jamie was comfortable, tracking down Ian, and Haley getting shot, personal needs had definitely been pushed to the side. He understood and it honestly didn't bother him, but now he was realizing just how much he missed her.

Suddenly remembering that Haley was, in fact, still injured, Nathan's hands paused on her back. It took everything in him to wrench his mouth away from hers. With the way her hips were moving against him and with the way she was kissing him, it was actually a miracle that he was able stop. But he would never put his needs in front of her health.

Nathan rested his forehead against hers, his breathing hard and his heart pounding. "We can't, Hales."

Her fingers played with the hairs at the nape of his neck, her eyebrows furrowed. "Why not? We're alone and no one's going to be back for at least another hour."

"Your wound," Nathan mumbled. "The doctor said to take it easy and I don't think he would put 'having sex with your husband' under that category."

"I told you I'm fine and you promised me that you would trust me when I said that," Haley reminded him. She loved him for caring, but right now she kind of wished he wouldn't be so concerned. She wanted him, and judging by the hard appendage she felt pressing against her, he wanted her as well. Dropping her hands from his hair, she gripped the back of the couch and pressed her body harder against this. She smirked when his eyes fluttered closed and a low groan escaped his lips.

Haley angled her head so she could press opened mouth kisses against the skin of his neck. She smiled when he trembled at her actions. "I miss you," Haley purred huskily when she reached his ear. She began a slow and torturous grind against him. "It's been way too long, baby."

Nathan squeezed eyes shut, his fingers digging into the skin of her hips. His breathing was labored and every nerve in his body felt like it was on fire. His self-control was waning thing. He was so desperate for her and it was starting to make him go insane. "I-I don't want to hurt you."

Haley smiled as she sat back to look at him. She cupped his face, the pad of her thumbs brushing against his skin. "You're not going to hurt me," She declared, leaning forward to kiss him. After a few seconds, she pulled away. "You're just going to have to be gentle."

The desire he found in her eyes and heard in her voice caused him to snap. He pulled her flush against him and captured her lips in a sinfully hot kiss. Gently, he shifted them so she was laying on the couch and he was hovering over her. Her fingers were tangled in his hair, her fingernails scraping against his scalp.

When air became an issue, his detached his lips from hers only to reattached them to her jaw and along her neck. The soft whimpers that were expelling from her lips and the taste of her skin was quickly driving him crazy. He couldn't believe that just a few moments before, he was going to deny himself of this. His skin felt like it was on fire and it felt as if he couldn't get enough of her.

Haley's hands were shaking with anticipation as she fumbled to get the rest of the buttons on Nathan's shirt undone. The desire was swirling thickly in the pit of her stomach and she was sure she could burst just from the feel of Nathan's lips on her neck. Once the last button was undone, she pushed the shirt off of his shoulders. Not wasting a second, she raked her nails down his back, her eyes rolling in the back of her head at the feel of his muscles flexing. His back was definitely one of her many weaknesses.

"Nathan," She moaned breathless when his tongue swirled around her pulse point, goosebumps rising high on her skin.

Nothing got to Nathan more than the feel of Haley's nails against his skin. It seemed to set off some kind of primal instinct inside of him. Pulling away from Haley, he reached for the hem of her blue v-neck and tore it off her body. He felt himself grow impossibly hard when he discovered that she was without a bra. He kinked an eyebrow, a smirk growing on his face.

She blushed under his gaze. His eyes were dark and full a desire, a fact that had her trembling. "I was lying in bed all day and bras are uncomfortable," She explained with a playful smile.

Nathan just chuckled as he tossed her shirt aside. He leaned down to kiss her again and groaned when their bare chest came in contact for the first time. Her skin was hot against his and he swore he could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Another groan bubbled up his throat when she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him down against her. They really hadn't done anything yet and he already felt like he was about to explode.

He pecked her lips once more before trailing kisses down her neck and along her upper chest. He swallowed harshly when her legs tightened around him. "God, Hales, you have no idea what you do to me," He whimpered against her already slick skin.

Haley shivered at his words, her teeth biting down hard on her bottom lip. She thrusted her hips against him, desperate for some kind of friction. She didn't even try to conceal the string of moans and whimpers that were falling from her lips. As much as she loved feeling Nathan's hands and lips caressing her skin, she needed more. She needed him. Trailing her hands down the skin of his back, she squeezed his biceps to get his attention.

"I need you," She breathed out. "Now."

The demanding tone of her voice and the darkening of her eyes had Nathan popping the button of her shorts. There was no way he was going to deny his wife what she wanted. Pulling her shorts and her underwear down her legs, he tossed them to join her shirt on the floor. Trailing his eyes over her body, he felt his heart constrict in his chest. Her cheeks and upper chest were flushed. Her auburn hair was messy, but in the most enticing ways. Her brown eyes were twinkling—with love, with lust, and with happiness.

She was so goddamn beautiful and she was all his.

"Are you just going to sit there and stare at me all night?" Haley teased, her blush deepening. She squirmed under his intense gaze, the butterflies taking flight in her stomach. So many years of marriage and he could still make her giddy.

The sound of her voice quickly broke him out of his daze. He smiled a charming smile at her. "I'm sorry, you're just so beautiful…I got distracted."

Haley rolled her eyes, her cheeks heating up more, if that was even possible. "Okay Mr. Charming, lose the pants."

"Oooh, so bossy," Nathan chuckled as he undid his belt buckle. Sliding the leather strap out of the loops, he tossed it the side. Quickly, undid the button to his khakis and discarded the rest of his clothes.

"You love it," Haley responded as her eyes trailed over his body. It was her turn to ogle. He was male perfection. Every single inch and line of him was perfect. To this day, she still didn't understand how someone like him ended up with someone like her.

Nathan covered her body was his own, careful not to put too much pressure on her, especially the side of her stomach where the bandage was. His hands gripped underneath her thighs and hooked them low on hips. They were both breathing heavily and Nathan leaned in to kiss her again.

"You're damn right I do," He whispered against her lips before seizing them in a slow and sensual kiss. His lower body mimicked their kiss as he entered her.

They both moaned at the action as complete euphoria washed over the both of them. Nathan stayed still to savor the moment, his lips still caressing hers slowly. He didn't begin to move until he felt Haley wither beneath him, a desperate "please" mumbled against his lips. Nathan rocked his hips slowly, relishing in the way Haley's nails pressed into the round tops of his shoulders. Her moans were slowly driving him closer to the edge.

Haley swore that this is was heaven felt like. Nathan's skin was slick against hers and the way he was moving inside of her had her eyes rolling to the back of her head. She wasn't sure how she had survived the last few weeks without this feeling. She pulled away from his lips and tossed her head back, a loud moan tearing from her throat when she felt Nathan change the angle. The pleasure was building inside of her at such a rapid pace.

"God, Nathan."

At the sound of her moans, Nathan involuntarily sped up his thrusts. He knew he wasn't going to last long, he could already feel himself losing control. His head dropped to the crook of her neck, his breath coming out in harsh pants against her skin. He kissed her skin, the salty and sweet taste exploding on his tongue. He practically growled when she clenched around him.

"Haley, baby, I'm so close," He panted, his fingers digging deeper in the flesh of her hips.

Haley swallowed thickly, her nails continuously raking down his back. "Me, too," She moaned. She gasped loudly when he gripped her thigh and hoisted it up higher. That was all she needed before she completely came undone. "Oh, God, Nathan, baby."

Nathan followed closely after her, a groan falling from his lips as he stilled his movements. A few seconds later, he collapsed boneless on top of her, his head buried in the crook of her neck. He smiled softly when she ran her fingers through his hair. They were both breathing heavily, but also feeling completely content.

After a couple of minutes, Nathan sat up and scooted so that he was lying beside her. Haley curled into him, her head resting on his chest. A soft smile spread across her face when she heard his heart beating loudly in his chest. Her fingers traced the contours of his chest, while his gently brushed against her arm.

"I love you, you know that?" Nathan whispered, breaking the silence.

"I love you, too, you know that?" Haley whispered back.

Nathan smiled. "I don't know I survived that long without these feeling. It was only a couple of weeks, but that feels like a lifetime."

She pressed a delicate kiss to his chest, right above his heart. "I know the feeling, definitely know the feeling."

"You do realize that we're gonna have to get up and get dressed soon, unless you want to scar your parents, Clay, or our son for the rest of their lives," Nathan said reluctantly. He really didn't want to get up. He just wanted to lay there and hold Haley.

"I know," She muttered sadly. "But a few more minutes won't hurt."

~x~

Haley lazily stirred the noodles in the boiling pot of water. In the distance, she could hear the shower running and she smiled softly to herself. Nathan had protested when Haley said she was going to make dinner, but she assured him that if she could handle making love to him, she could handle the task of making dinner. After seeing the determination in her eyes and the smirk on her face, he didn't question her any further. Her parents called about twenty minutes ago to tell her that they decided to go over an old friend's house and that they would be back tomorrow. Clay should be back with Jamie within the next few minutes.

Haley placed the spoon back on the spoon rest and walked over to the fridge. She was just about to open it when she heard a knock at the door. A smile spread across her face as she walked towards the door—Clay and Jamie must be back. She swung the door open.

"Clay, you know that you don't have to kn—Chase?" She gasped, her eyes going wide.

There in her doorway was Chase Adams with a small bouquet of flowers in his hand and a nervous smile on his face. Panic and shock mixed together inside of her. Her husband was in the shower and her ex-boyfriend? Fling? Friend? Moment of insanity? was standing in her doorway. She hadn't heard from him in months and she figured she never would again.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in a voice that sounded a little more accusing that she intended.

Chase nervously scratched the back of his neck. "I, uh, heard about everything that happened. It was on the news. I thought I would stop by and see how you're doing."

Haley blinked hard. She heard the shower stop and the panic increased. She had to get rid of Chase before Nathan got out of the shower. Haley knew her husband and he would blow gasket if he saw Chase standing there.

"That's really sweet of you, Chase. But, you know, Nathan—"

"Oh, I'm not here for us to get back together or anything like that," Chase cut her off with a small chuckle. "I'm strictly here just to see how you're doing."

"Oh," Haley mumbled. "I just thought that…"

She trailed off.

Chase smiled ruefully. "I'm not naïve, Haley. Even when we were together, I knew that your heart was with someone else. I was just selfish and didn't want to let you go. I am glad everything worked out between you and Nathan, truly."

"I'm sorry, Chase," She apologized, suddenly feeling guilty for the way she used him. He was a good guy and he didn't deserve to be dragged along just because she was tired of Brooke nagging her about moving on.

Chase shook his head. "It's okay. I'm not mad or anything. I completely understand. Like I said, I just wanted to stop, give you these flowers, and see how you are."

"Babe, who's at the door?" Nathan called out.

 _Shit_.

Before Haley could shout back to him, he was already making his way to the front door, clad in only a pair of basketball shorts. His hair was still wet and a couple of water droplets could be found on his chest. Nathan stepped next to Haley and looked up to see who she was talking to. His entire body tensed when he saw Chase Adams standing in the doorway. _What the hell was that punk doing in his house?_

Haley felt Nathan tense beside her and she nervously chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Nathan, this is Chase. Chase, this is Nathan," She spoke nervously, her voice shaking slightly.

Nathan narrowed his eyes as he stuck his hand out. "I'm Haley's husband."

Haley cringed at the tone of Nathan's voice. Yup, he was totally jealous and in protective mode.

Chase shifted uncomfortably under Nathan's gaze. He trembled as he shook his hand. "I'm Chase."

"Nice to meet you," Nathan forced out. "Now, if you don't mind, Haley and I are actually kind of busy. Is there something that you need?"

Chase shook his head and swallowed hard. It was clear to see that Nathan intimidated the hell out of him. "Uh, no. I'm just here to drop off these flowers and to see how Haley is."

Nathan reached out to grab the flowers from Chase's grip. "She's great. Thanks for stopping by." With that, he slammed the door shut in Chase's face.

Haley's eyes widened as she snapped her head to look at Nathan. "Did you have to be so rude?"

Nathan raised his eyebrows. "Uh…yeah? How else do you expect me to act when my wife's ex-whatever is standing in the doorway holding a bouquet of flowers? You're lucky that I wasn't around to hear him beg or grovel for you back. He would have gotten a lot more than just a door slammed in his face."

Haley couldn't help but giggle at the way Nathan was ranting. He just looked so adorable in a huff like he was. It made her feel kind of good that even after all these years, he still got jealous when other guys tried to get involved with her. She probably should have been angry at him for being so rude, but she honestly didn't care much about Chase.

Nathan paused when he heard Haley laughing. "What the heck are you laughing at?" He asked, his forehead creased in confusion.

Haley continued to giggle as she approached him, wrapping her arm around his waist. His arms encircled her waist as well, holding her to him. "I'm laughing at you."

The creases in his forehead only became more visible. "How exactly is Chase coming here to beg for you back funny?"

"Because he wasn't here to beg for me back," Haley answered with another short giggle. "He just wanted to stop by and see how I was. He made it very clear that he didn't want me back. In fact, he said that he was happy for us."

"Oh," Nathan mumbled. "Well, still, I don't like that guy. I'm the only one allowed to touch you."

Haley playfully rolled her eyes. "Very caveman."

Nathan shrugged. "I don't care."

"You know," Haley began, her voice taking a much huskier tone. "You're actually kind of sexy when you're jealous."

Nathan's jealously and anger was quickly forgotten. His body relax and he allowed a smirk to spread across his face. "Only kind of?" He purred, leaning in closer to her.

"Okay, maybe really sexy," She replied, her eyes falling shut when his nose brushed against hers.

"That's what I thought," He said huskily before covering her lips with his.

~x~

"Alright, Jamie, what movie do you want to watch?" Nathan asked as he bent down to look at their movie collection. Haley and Jamie were already tucked into their bed. They all decided to have a movie night tonight, in Nathan and Haley's room. Their bed was big enough to fit the three of them and plus, it was a lot more comfortable than the couch.

It was storming outside and they all just felt the need to be close to one another.

"Finding Nemo!" Jamie yelled out. "That's my favorite movie?"

"Again?" Haley questioned with a laugh. "We've already watched that movie like a hundred times."

"It's my favorite, momma," Jamie said with a smile as he looked up at her and batted his eyelashes. "Please?"

Haley sighed in defeat. Just like her mother, she was completely defenseless against that look. "Oh, okay."

"Yay!" Jamie squealed, clapping his hands together.

Nathan laughed as he pulled the movie out from their selection. Popping the movie in, he crawled into bed. Jamie was seated in the middle of the both, the stuffed bear that his Grandpa Dan had gotten him sitting his lap. Nathan pressed a kiss to Jamie's forehead before sitting back on the bed.

Haley watched the pure joy on Jamie's face as he watched the movie. It was moments like this that she loved the most. It was moments like this where she just had to thank God, the stars, and whatever else there was for making sure that Jamie was returned to her and Nathan. They had missed out on a lot of his life, but they weren't going to miss anymore.

They were all going to be just fine.

Haley glanced Nathan to see him smiling at her and she knew that he was thinking the same thing.


	21. Epilogue

My usual long (this one is extra long) author's note will actually be at the end of this chapter, in case you were missing it ;)

* * *

 _One year later…_

Haley tore the piece of tape she was holding with her teeth before folding it into a circle. Placing the tape on the back of the blue streamer, she securely pressed it against the wall above the doorway so that it was hanging down. She let out a content breath of air as she stepped down from the latter she was standing on. Her hands fell to rest on her hips as she surveyed her work.

The entire kitchen and adjacent living room were decked out in birthday decorations. A set of black and blue streams dangled in the doorway to the kitchen, creating a curtain. The mahogany wood kitchen table was cloaked in a white table cloth with silver and gold pieces of confetti littering it. Black balloon with the words "Happy 30th Birthday" written in multiple different colored fonts were tied to various items throughout the house. Banners with those same words were taped the walls.

The kitchen and living room basically looked like Party City threw up…which is exactly what she was hoping for.

Butterflies were in Haley's stomach as she raced around to make sure everything was exactly in the place she wanted it. She only had about a twenty minutes before people started arriving and she hadn't even gotten ready yet. Her bottom lip was painfully raw from her chewing on it so much and she swore her hands had friction burn from her rubbing them together so much. She just wanted everything to be perfect.

"Momma! Momma! Look at the card I made dad!" Jamie called out as he came barreling into the kitchen. Clasped tightly in his hands was a piece of green construction paper, folded in half.

Haley whipped around at the sound of Jamie's voice and instantly smiled when she saw how excited he was. Crouching down so that she was level with him, she held out her hands. "Okay, let's see what you got, buddy."

When Jamie placed the card in her hands, she started to look it over and the smile never left her face. On the front of the card, Jamie had written "Happy Birthday, dad!" in purple marker. Surrounding the words were randomly drawn balloons, colored in with either blue, red, or orange marker. Flipping the card open, Haley's smile only grew wider. Inside, there was a two stick figures, a taller one and a shorter one, both with large smiles on their faces. The taller one had black hair and was labeled "dad." The shorter one had yellow hair and was labeled "me." Between the two figures was an orange basketball. At the top of the card, the words "I love you" were spelled out.

She felt like her heart was going to burst.

"Do you think he's gonna like it?" Jamie asked.

Haley looked up at him before ruffling his hair. "I think he's going to love it. Why don't you go put it with the present you got him and then go get changed, sound good?"

Jamie nodded eagerly before taking off towards the table that was specifically for the presents. Haley smiled at him as she stood up from the ground. For the last few weeks, Jamie had been a huge help with planning Nathan's surprise party. At first, she was a little apprehensive about telling Jamie. If her son was anything like her, he would blow the secret within minutes after finding out about it. Luckily for her, Jamie ended up taking after his father in that department. It still made her smile whenever she thought about just how excited Jamie was to help her plan this party. Every day that she picked him up from school (which was every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—Nathan got off early from work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so he picked him up those days), Jamie would excitedly tell her all about his ideas for the party.

In fact, he was the one who picked out all of the decorations and decided that they had to have pizza with ham and mushroom as the main dish, because that was "daddy's absolute favorite."

"Hales, I got the cake!" Lucas called out, followed by the sound of the front door slamming shut.

"And I got the case of beer you asked me to pick up!" Brooke's voice came next.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Haley shouted.

Within seconds, Lucas and Brooke emerged from the streamers, carrying the items that Haley requested.

"Where do you want this?" Lucas asked, his head nodding towards the cake.

"You can just put it on the counter," Haley answered as she grabbed the case of beer from Brooke. She quickly stuck it in the fridge.

"It looks great in here," Brooke marveled as her eyes did a sweep of the two rooms.

"I helped, Aunt Brooke," Jamie announced, a proud smile on his face.

Brooke made her way over to him and wrapped her arms around him, placing a few kisses on his cheeks. Jamie just squirmed and laughed. "Well, you did good, little man."

Haley grinned at the two of them before reverting her attention back to Lucas. "You guys parked around the block, right?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Yes, we did. You only reminded us a hundred times."

Haley ignored his remark and just clapped her hands together. She could feel her nerves and excitement rising with every given second. "Okay, good. Clay and Quinn checked in to their hotel about an hour ago and are on their way over. Peyton and Jake are getting the pizza. Dan and Deb are picking up their present for Nathan and then they'll be here. My mom is at the store with my dad," She was talking rapidly and more to herself than Lucas.

Lucas chuckled as he gripped Haley's shoulders. "Haley, breathe. Nathan doesn't get off work for another hour and everyone will be here way before then. Everything is going to work out just fine."

Haley sighed. "I just want this to be perfect. You know, he's just been working really hard lately with the promotion and he deserves a day to just have fun."

Nathan had only worked for the Charlotte united of the FBI ten months before they offered him a promotion to become the Assistant Director. After discussing it, they decided that he should take it. While working in that unit as a regular agent meant a lot less danger and a lot less travel, being the Assistant Director meant even less danger and little to no travel. Basically, he was in charge of dictating which agents would be on what case and making sure that those cases were solved in a timely manner. Sometimes it meant longer hours, but at least she didn't have to worry about him when he was away on cases.

"I know, I know, but I promise that he's going to love it. Hell, I'm sure he would have been perfectly happy with beer, pizza, and a day full of just watching basketball," Lucas tried to soothe her, rubbing his hands up and down the length of her arms.

"You're right," Haley conceded. "I'm just being…overly emotional, I guess. Can you believe that I actually took the day off of work so I could be spend all day setting up for this?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow at that and dropped his hands from her arms. "Haley James Scott actually requested a day off of work? Hell must have frozen over."

Haley rolled her eyes and lightly smacked him on the nose, her nose crinkling. "Oh, hush up. I am not that obsessed with my work."

Lucas smirked. "You do realize you refused to take a sick day when you had that sinus infection and you couldn't talk, you couldn't stop coughing, and one of your eyes were practically swollen shut."

Haley scoffed and narrowed her eyes at him. "In my defense, that was right before midterms and I was behind in my lessons because we had those inclement weather days. Finals aren't for another two weeks and I am perfectly on track, this time."

"Whatever you say."

"Do I have to separate you two?" Brooke teased, her hands on her hips and an eyebrow arched.

"That won't be necessary," Haley said with a giggle.

~x~

Haley stood in front of the full body mirror in her and Nathan's bedroom. Everyone was already downstairs and they had about twenty minutes before Nathan would be arriving back home from work. She had instructed everyone to say in the back of the living room, so they would be out of Nathan's sight when he first walked into the house. To say that she was excited was an understatement. The butterflies were in full effect and her heart was hammering loudly in her chest.

Today was going to be a good day. It had to be.

Her shaking hands smoothed out the lines of her dark red dress. It had a jewel neckline and was tight against her upper body. The bottom part of the dress fell to her knees and bellowed out just slightly. The dress was tied in the back by a series of crisscrossed string. She was well aware that this dress was one of Nathan's favorites. The first time he saw it on her was before his work's Christmas party and to make a long story short, they were more than forty five minutes.

She felt her cheeks heat up at the memory.

Her hands paused when she reached her stomach. She laid one hand flat against her stomach, her fingers caressing it in slow circles. A warmth spread through her body as a slow smile etched its way across her face. The butterflies only intensified.

"Haley!" Peyton's voice echoed from the hallway into the bedroom she was standing in. "I think Nathan's car just pulled in the driveway!"

Haley's heart leapt in her throat. Taking one last glance in the mirror, she smoothed out a few curls in her hair and wiped under eyes to fix her make-up. She took one last calming breath before exiting the bedroom and heading down the stairs to where everyone was waiting. Someone had dimmed the lights and everyone was squished to the back of the living room. She smiled when she saw Jamie sitting in the center of everyone, waving her over eagerly. In a few quick steps, she was crouched down next to Jamie and her arms were holding him close.

The sound of the front door opening and closing has Haley's heart pounding in her chest. It amazed her how all of their friends and family were able to stay dead quiet as they waited for Nathan to step in the kitchen. After all, they were some of chattiest people she'd ever met. She looked down at Jamie when he squeezed her hand and was met with an excited smile. She smiled back.

"Hales?" Nathan's voice bounced off the walls. "Jamie?"

She bit down on her bottom lip as his footsteps grew louder. A few seconds later, the sound of the streams rustling could be heard.

"SURPRISE!"

Someone flicked the lights on as everyone cheered and Nathan jumped back, his hand reaching up to cover his heart.

"Jesus Christ!" He shouted, his heart racing as he took in what was in front of him. Every person that he loved and cared about was in that room. His hands fell to his hips as a bright smile spread across his face. "What is all this?"

Haley emerged from the group of people with a smile on her face. Walking up to Nathan, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Happy Birthday, baby."

Automatically, Nathan's arms fell to rest around her waist. He immediately noticed the dress she was wearing and his smile melted into a smirk. It was too bad that their living room was full of their family and friends, because he was two seconds away from lifting her up on the counter and having his way with her. "Did you plan all of this for me?"

"Well, I had some help," Haley said as she twisted her body in his arms, just in time to see Jamie bouncing over to them.

"Happy Birthday, dad!" Jamie exclaimed once he reached his parents.

Nathan released Haley to crouch down so that he was eye level with Jamie before pulling him in a tight hug. "Thanks, buddy. Did you help your mom with the party?"

When they pulled out of the hug, Jamie nodded. "I picked out the decorations and the food. I even helped hang up the streamers."

Nathan smiled as he ruffled the hair on Jamie's head. "Well, thank you, son. You're a good man."

Jamie lit up at that. "I can't wait for you to see what I got you and the card that I made you!"

Haley laughed as she reached down to squeeze Jamie's shoulder. "Slow down, Jamie. We still got some time before your dad opens his presents."

Jamie pouted. "Okay, okay."

Nathan laughed as he picked himself up off the floor. Leaning forward, he pressed a quick kiss on Haley's lips. "Thank you for this."

She lightly tapped his chest. "It was nothing. Now, go visit with your guests. I'll be here _all_ night."

Nathan kissed her once more before winking at her. "You better be."

~x~

"So, what happened to this big case you were working on? You know the one that you used as your excuse as to why you couldn't fly down here for a basketball game?" Nathan asked Clay with a raised eyebrow. He took a sip of his beer when Clay nervously chuckled.

A few weeks ago, Nathan had called Clay up and asked him to fly down for the weekend of his birthday. Nathan suggested that they go to a Bobcats game and maybe hit the bars. However, Clay claimed that he was just assigned to this huge case and couldn't make it. That was clearly a lie.

"Hey, I had no choice! Haley would have killed me if I let the secret slip," Clay said with a chuckle.

Nathan shook his head with a small smile on his face. "I get it. How are things, man? It's been awhile."

"Things…are good," Clay said with a smile. "You know, Quinn's been talking about having kids of our own."

Nathan's eyes widened at that. "Really? And, how do you feel about that?"

"Terrified, if I'm being honest," Clay admitted as leaned further back on the couch. "I've always wanted kids and we've talked about having kids in the past, but it was always something that was in the future. But, I guess the future is now."

"I understand what you mean. Haley and I talked about having kids not long after we got married. We both basically had the mentality that 'if and when it happens, then it happens.' Even so, when I found out Haley was pregnant…I was scared out of my mind. I didn't know the first thing about taking care of a baby or raising a child. In fact, if I remember correctly, I passed out when she went into labor. "

Clay swallowed the lump in his throat. "This really isn't making me feel better."

"I'm getting there," Nathan chuckled. "Everything changed as soon as I held Jamie in my arms for the time. It's a feeling that's like no other. I wasn't scared anymore, because I knew that if Haley and I could have created something so beautiful, than anything was possible."

"Who knew you could be such a sap," Clay joked, taking a sip of his own beer.

"Oh, shut up. You'll see exactly what I mean when you have kids," Nathan assured. He could still see the apprehension clear in Clay's eyes. "Besides, you're not gonna be alone. You'll have Quinn. And trust me, moms? They could put Superman to shame."

Clay smiled at him and gave him a quick nod. "Thanks, man."

"Well, if it isn't Dumb and Dumber," Peyton joked as she plopped down on the couch next to Clay.

"Oh, how I've missed you, Peyton Jagielski," Nathan muttered with a playful roll of his eyes.

The last time Nathan had seen either Clay or Peyton was at Peyton and Jake's wedding five months ago. They kept in touch as much as possible, it was the getting together and hanging out part that was difficult. If it wasn't Clay and Peyton getting assigned to a new case, it was Nathan. It sucked, but that just meant that when they did get a chance to see each other, they made it count.

"Thirty? Wow, Nate, you're getting old," Peyton joked as she pursed her lips.

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "You turned thirty last month, did you forget about that?"

Peyton shrugged her shoulders as she laughed. "Yes, but at least I don't look my age."

Nathan just shook his head. He had forgotten what Peyton was like when they weren't smack dab in the middle of a case. When they were working, she was all work and no play. Clearing his throat, Nathan began to speak again. "I went to see Mouth in jail last week."

Peyton sat up at that. "How'd that go?"

Nathan shrugged. "I still can't wrap my head around why he helped Ian out. When I was talking to him, he seemed so remorseful and depressed. And when I asked him why, all he said was that 'Ian had a way with words and he felt as if he had no choice.'"

Clay sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair. "You know what Dan used to say—if you stay up worrying about why criminals do what they do, you're never going to get any sleep."

Nathan opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Jamie and Jenny barreling into the living room.

"Uncle Clay!" Jamie shouted as his body hit the edge of the couch. "Can you throw me and Jenny in the pool? I told Jenny about how much fun it is and she wants to try it."

"Well, that's an interesting request," Peyton mumbled.

Nathan gave a pointed look towards Clay. "You've been throwing my kid in the pool?"

Clay smiled sheepishly. "I only did it a few times at Peyton's wedding reception. We were bored, there was a pool…and you know, what, kids let's go." With that, Clay jumped up from the couch and ushered the kids into the backyard.

"Clay Evans, ladies and gentlemen," Nathan chuckled to himself.

~x~

Haley smiled as she watched the party from the window in the kitchen, her hands scrubbing at the dishes in the sink. She could have waited until after the party to clean them, but the perfectionist side of her couldn't stand to look at the mess any longer. Everyone had moved into the backyard after they finished eating. Everything had worked out perfectly and she couldn't have been happier. Nathan hadn't stopped smiling and he really seemed to be enjoying himself. Jamie was having a blast with Jenny in the pool with Clay and Quinn.

It was moments like these where she just had to stop and take it all in. There was a warmth in her body that she thought she would never feel again. Her heart felt full of love and happiness. A year and a half ago, if someone had told her that she would be _this_ happy again, she's not sure she would have believed them. Things were so…hard for them back then. Her marriage with Nathan was rocky, Ian was still out there, and there wasn't a Jamie. There was this constant darkness surrounding them and she feared that it would never go away.

Six years of disappointment, pain, and fear does that to a person.

The sound of the back door opening and closing brought her out of her thoughts. A few seconds later, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and the smell of Nathan completely surrounded her. Instinctively, she melted into his embrace.

Nathan pressed a delicate kiss to the side of her neck and smiled was she sighed. "You didn't have to do all of this for me, you know. I would have been happy with you, Jamie, a beer, and a basketball game. Followed by, a naked you and a naked me in our bed." His lips brushed against the side of her neck with every word and he smirked when she visibly shivered.

He had been looking for an excuse to get her alone since the moment he saw her in that dress. When he saw her disappear into the house, he wasted no time following her inside. Everyone was having a good time and he was sure that they wouldn't mind if they disappeared for a few minutes.

"I know," Haley murmured, her eyes fluttering shut as Nathan continued to leave kisses across the length of her neck. She licked her lips as she reached up to turn the water off, drying her hands off on the towel laying against the counter. "But, I wanted to do something nice for you. You've been working so hard lately and we haven't seen our friends in a while."

"You're the best wife in the world," He breathed huskily, kissing the shell of her ear.

Haley felt her body begin to heat up when Nathan's hands began to caress her stomach. She bit down on her bottom lip hard when he start to lightly suck on her pulse point. Her breathing sounded loud in her ears and her heart was hammering in her chest. She titled her head to the side to give him better access as she moaned softly. Nathan's grip on her waist tightened as he pulled her flush against him, a gasp leaving her lips when she felt his need for her.

"I want you so badly, right now," Nathan groaned into her neck. The scents of her vanilla perfume and her coconut shampoo were slowly driving him crazy.

"We c-cant," Haley forced out. She could feel her body trembling with the desire that was coursing through her veins. She wanted nothing more than to surrender herself to him, but she couldn't. "We h-have a house f-full of people."

Nathan's hand trailed to the edge of her dress and dragged it up, his fingers dancing along her thighs. "I'm sure they won't mind if we sneak away for a few minutes. I can be quick," Nathan murmured huskily.

Haley inhaled sharply when his hands dipped into her inner thigh. "What has gotten into you?" She asked breathlessly, her head tipping back to rest against his shoulder.

"How do you expect me to keep my hands to myself when you're wearing this dress? You know what this dress does to me. You're so damn sexy, baby," Nathan purred back.

Despite how badly she wanted to give into him, she reached down to grab his hands and squeezed them. "Later."

Nathan sighed as he pressed one last kiss to the side of her neck. He backed away slightly, but kept his hands on her waist. "You promise?"

Haley giggled when she looked back at him and saw the pout on his face, a pout that eerily mirrored Jamie's when he didn't get what he wanted. "I promise."

Taking a deep breath, Nathan pressed a chaste kiss to her lips before stepping away from her. "So, what did you get me?" He asked when he eyed the present table, his lips curving up into a playful smirk.

Haley turned to face him and leaned back against the counter. The butterflies returned to her stomach in tenfold and her heart skipped a beat. "Technically, I got you two things."

"Really?" Nathan asked with a raised eyebrow.

Haley smiled nervously as she walked towards him. Placing her hands on his chest, she bit her bottom lip. "But, I can't exactly give you these gifts in front of everyone," She purred, her eyes twinkling.

Nathan inwardly groaned. "Oh, that's just not fair. You deny me, only to get me all hot and bothered, again."

Haley rolled her eyes, her smile never leaving her face. "You'll survive. It'll be worth the wait, I promise." Her hand trailed down his chest until she reached his hand and laced their fingers together. "Now, let's get back outside before our guests think something bad happened."

Nathan chuckled as she pulled him into the backyard.

"Yo, Nate, I think Jamie is putting the moves on my daughter," Jake joked as soon as he saw Nathan and Haley walked through the back door.

Nathan glanced over at the pool to see Jamie and Jenny sitting on the edge of it. Jamie had his arm around Jenny's shoulders and they were both kicking their feet in the water, splashing Clay and Quinn. He smirked at the sight. "He's a Scott boy, of course he is."

Everyone laughed at that as Jake rolled his eyes. "Well, he better retract that charm because Jenny's not allowed to date until she's twenty-five."

"I tried to talk him down to at least twenty, but he wasn't budging," Peyton spoke up with a laugh.

"I think that's a good rule," Nathan murmured. "Hell, if I ever have a daughter, she'll be lucky if she's allowed to leave the house before she's forty."

"Speaking of that," Lydia butted in. "Deb and I were just talking about how we were wondering when you two were going to bless us with another grandchild."

Haley felt her heartbeat accelerate as she looked over at Nathan. Her stomach was doing flip flops as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. For some reason, she was nervous about hearing Nathan's answer to that.

"Well, actually," Nathan began, smirking. "I was trying to get started on that a few minutes ago, but your daughter turned me down."

Haley's eyes widened as she felt her cheeks flame up. A wave of laughter spread through everyone. She immediately reached over to smack his arm. "Nathan!" She chastised him.

"Wow, propositioning your wife when there's a house full of people? And they say kinky sex stops after marriage," Brooke laughed.

"I so do not want to hear this," Lucas mumbled.

Haley covered her face. "Oh, God, someone kill me."

~x~

"Did you have a good birthday, dad?" Jamie asked as he crawled into bed.

"I did, thanks to you and your mom," Nathan said with a smile as he sat down on the edge of Jamie's bed. He winked at Haley who was standing in the doorway.

"Did you like my card?" Jamie asked next, through a yawn.

"I loved it," Nathan promised. "I think I'm going to put it on my desk at work, right next to the picture I have of you and your mom."

Jamie smiled at that. "I was hoping you would say that."

"Alright, well, you get some sleep. Tomorrow's Saturday and I was thinking we'd spend the day at the River Court. What do you think?" Nathan offered.

Jamie eagerly nodded his head. "Yes!"

Nathan chuckled. "Alright, it's date." Standing up, he kissed Jamie on the top of the head. "Goodnight son, I love you."

"I love you, too."

Haley smiled as she walked over to Jamie and quickly kissed his cheek. "Sweet dreams." She shut off his bedroom light and shut the door as she walked back over to her bedroom. When she walked in, she Nathan sitting on their bed. He was laying down, his body propped up on his elbows. She couldn't help but laugh at the eager smirk on his face.

Her stomach was in knots as she looked at him. Her heart was pounding.

"What do you look so excited for?" Haley pondered innocently.

"Just the birthday present my wife got for me."

Haley laughed again as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "That's not funny."

Haley rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. "You're insatiable, you know that?"

He smiled innocently. "Only when it comes to you."

"Okay, okay. I'll be right back, Birthday Boy."

She stepped into the en suite bathroom and closed the door behind her. Leaning against the door, she closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. Her nerves were running high and she felt lightheaded. Once she felt composed enough, she walked over to the sink where she had stashed Nathan's first birthday gift. _This_ gift wasn't the one that was making her nervous.

Pulling the strings on the back of her dress, she felt it loosen from her body. Slowly, she let it fall and she stepped out of the pool of fabric. Picking it up, she smoothed out her dress and draped it over the side of the counter. Fishing through the shopping bag, she pulled out the white negligee she had purchased a few days ago. She and Nathan were at the mall when they passed a lingerie shop. He had pointed out this negligee and joked that she should buy it for him. At the time, she just shoved him and rolled her eyes. Little did he know…

Once she was dressed, she took one last glance in the mirror before heading back into her bedroom.

Nathan sat up at the sound of the bathroom door opening and he swore his heart stopped beating. Haley was leaning against the door frame and a hand was on her hip. She was dressed in a sheer white negligee, the same one he had pointed out just a few days ago. He felt his mouth go dry as his eyes roamed up and down her body. God damn, she was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. How had he gotten so lucky? His heart began to hammer in his chest when she sauntered over to him, her hips swaying in a seductive manner. He swallowed thickly when she straddled his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck.

Haley felt a shiver run down her spine at the way Nathan was looking at her. His eyes were midnight blue and he looked like he just wanted to devour her whole. Every time he looked at her, it was like he was seeing her for the first time and it never failed to make her heart pound in her chest.

"I take your silence means that you like it?" Haley asked timidly.

Nathan's hands rested on her hips as he leaned in his closer to her. "I love it. You're so damn beautiful," He declared before seizing her lips in a fiery kiss.

Haley moaned at the onslaught, her fingers wrapping in the stands of his hair at the base of his neck. She could feel Nathan's hands running up and down her back, pushing her even closer to him. Her mind became hazy as she got lost in the feel of him. She still had to give him his other gift and if she didn't pull away now, she was positive that she wouldn't be able to.

After a few more seconds, she wrenched her mouth away and rested her forehead against his. "This is only gift number one," She panted.

"You're really trying to kill me, aren't you?" Nathan gasped out.

Pulling away slightly, she smiled nervously at him. "Well, no."

Nathan furrowed his eyebrows at the expression on her face. It was clear as day that she was nervous. She was chewing on her bottom lip and he could feel her playing with the hair on the back of his neck. "Hales, what is it?"

Haley took a deep breath. The butterflies in her stomach were so strong and she wouldn't be surprised if he could hear her heart beating. A slow smile spread across her face.

"I'm pregnant."

The creases in Nathan's forehead disappeared as his eyes lit up, a smile of his own taking over his features. "Really?"

Haley nodded. "I suspected something about a week ago, so I took a test and it came back positive. I went to the doctor a couple of days ago, just to be sure. I didn't want to say anything until I was absolutely sure…and well, we're pregnant."

Before Haley could comprehend what was happening, she was on her back and Nathan was hovering above her. His lips were on hers seconds later.

"Does this mean you're happy?" Haley mumbled against his lips.

Pulling back, he smiled down at her. The happiness he was feeling…it was indescribable. He suddenly felt like he was on top of the world. After everything they'd been through, this type of happiness was a force to be reckoned with. He had a wonderful son, the perfect wife, and now he was going to have ever more. "This is officially the best birthday ever."

A warmth spread through Haley's body as she took in the pure happiness on Nathan's face. Reaching up, she caressed his cheek. "We got our happy ending, didn't we?"

"I always knew that we would," Nathan declared before pulling her into a passionate kiss.

 _The End._

* * *

This author's note is hella long, so that's why I put it at the end. If you don't feel like reading it, there are absolutely no hard feelings.

Wow, I can't believe that we actually reached the end of this story. I can still remember the moment this idea came to me and I started writing this story. It feels like it was just yesterday. I just want to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support of this story. Never in a million years did I think I was going to get the response that I did. I feel like I've said that about a million times, but oh well. This was my first (successful) venture into the Naley fanfic world and I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out.

Here's a few anecdotes/fun facts about this story, in case you're interested.

-After I finished this story, I actually went back and rewrote the last two chapters pretty last minute. My original plan was for Nathan to find out Haley was pregnant again when she was in the hospital after she got shot (hence the the few unprotected sex scenes). However, the more I thought about it, the more I didn't think that they were ready to have another child. They had just gotten rid of Ian for good and they were still working on rebuilding their family. I thought that throwing a new baby in the mix would make things a lot more complicated, especially for Jamie. So, I changed it.

-When I first started to write this story, there wasn't going to be a Jamie. The picture that Nathan was looking at in the first chapter was actually supposed to be just a picture of him when he was younger. The story was just going to be about the fact that Nathan left Haley to keep her save from Ian after he threatened to hurt her. But I felt as if that wasn't enough drama/substances for a story. I felt like there needed to be a more solid reason for Nathan leaving and just a simple threat wasn't enough.

-Chase was supposed to be featured more in this story, however, I decided that I didn't want Naley to have more than one third party problem. Ian was enough. Plus, I found him difficult to write and felt like he would be unnecessary. So, I included him sparingly.

-Nathan's attitude was supposed to be a lot more...cocky. When I first envisioned this story, I pictured Nathan having the attitude that he was confident that Haley still loved him, he believed that Chase was a cover up, and that he wouldn't have any problem getting Haley back. His motives for leaving were still the same. However, when I started writing, that wasn't the direction that this Nathan took me in. Sometimes, and I'm sure other writers can attest to this, your characters have a mind of their own.

-Dan was originally supposed to be the villain of this story. He was going to be the Ian, with completely different motives. But, I felt as if a lot fanfics make Dan out to be the bad guy. He's always the one who causes the problems with Naley or is trying to hurt them. I do love those stories, however, I wanted to do something a little different. Damien West was the next person who I planned to make the villain. But, he didn't really have the sinister quality that I was looking for. Damien to me is just some punk who is way too cocky for his own good and is used to getting what he wants. Ian Banks just had the face and the attitude of a lunatic, which is what I wanted for that role.

Okay, anecdotes over, haha.

As for future projects, my main focus right now is Colors. I do have a few one shots that I've been messing around with that I'll eventually get around to posting. As for more multi-chaptered fics, I currently don't have any solid ideas. I have a few like starter ideas that I'm tinkering with but I'm not going to focus on those until I get a littler farther into Colors. However, I can assure you that Colors and Razor Sharp **won't** be my only multi-chaptered fics, though. It's kind of hard to come up with ideas that haven't been done before, haha. Or, at least ideas that I can make my own.


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